Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has become a highly divisive figure since her feelings on gender and the trans community were made public some years ago, and the writer has continued to further alienate herself from her once loyal fanbase with what many perceive to be anti-trans rhetoric.
Rowling, who has been dubbed She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in some Harry Potter fan circles, has always stuck to her guns and doubled down on her views, and the news that HBO was developing a new Potter series reignited a lot of backlash.
The Matrix co-director Lilly Wachowski, who is hailed as "the most powerful and influential trans filmmaker around," was asked for her views on Rowling and the new Harry Potter show during an interview with Variety, and did not mince words.
"She is funding trans genocide. J.K. Rowling funds trans genocide, full stop. So, if you support Harry Potter, you’re supporting trans genocide. The money that goes into you enjoying these products, a portion of that money goes to J.K. Rowling and that money goes into her funding anti-trans legislation all over the world. In the same way that if you are against Elon Musk, you boycott or don’t buy Tesla; and if you’re against global warming/climate change, you try not to buy as much gas, you try to mitigate your use of these products. It’s simple math. So, your enjoyment of these shows, and continued support of these shows, is supporting my eradication."
Rowling's agent, Neil Blair, issued the following statement to Entertainment Weekly in response.
“Freedom of speech is a principle we should all cherish. What matters is that J.K. Rowling’s views, as with anyone else’s, are represented accurately, fairly and respectfully and that individual opinion does not detract from those views,” Blair said. “To correct Lilly Wachowski, through The J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund, J.K. Rowling supports women taking legal action in the UK to preserve their existing rights under the Equality Act 2010, which are often overlooked or threatened. She does not support legal actions aimed at harming transgender people or efforts to limit trans rights.”
Blair added, “People are free to disagree with her views but seriously defamatory allegations of this nature, even outrageously invoking the Nazi’s and the genocide that they committed, should never be presented as fact when they are clearly fabricated and not based on any evidence.”
Many believe that Wachowski is being overdramatic, but others are in full agreement. The internet has put anyone involved with the upcoming series on blast, and there's speculation that this is what led to Nicholas Hoult stepping away from his season 2 role as Gilderoy Lockhart (Game of Thrones star Kit Harington will replace him).
Wachowski also revealed some of the projects she has pitched over the years that studios had no interest in developing, including an adaptation of the Cosmoknights comic book.
"I’ve pitched a lot of wonderful, cool queer stories and trans stories, and Hollywood didn’t want any of it. There was this TV show based on this comic book Cosmoknights that I was going to direct, and it was from me and Emily Andras, who made Wynonna Earp. It’s Star Wars with lesbians in space. Amy Poehler was producing it, and we pitched it all around town. We had a cool bible that Emily had written, and I put together a jazzy video for it, and everybody passed. We had this cool adaptation of Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin, which was a bestseller on all these top ten lists, and couldn’t get that going. This is around 2022, and now it’s four years later and I haven’t made a thing. I cannot find a studio that will do any of it."
What do you make of Wachowski's comments?