3 JK Rowling controversies amid Harry Potter boycott reports

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has faced many controversies over the years. HBO recently announced that it would be rebooting the author's series into a TV and that she would be one of the show's executive producers. Needless to say, J K Rowling's involvement in the show has left several people unhappy. Netizens and activists have taken to social media to call out the decision and boycott the upcoming series.

However, JK Rowling's reaction to the same was of amused nonchalance and she responded to it with a sarcastic statement. She also doubled down on her response and said that she would take precautionary measures by "laying in a large stock of champagne.”

Earlier, HBO declined to comment when asked if JK Rowling's involvement would create controversy or issues for the series. However, Content Head Casey Bloys did say that they think it is an online conversation and their forum is not the place to discuss it. Bloys said that it was an online conversation that was "nuanced and complicated" and it wasn't something they would get into.

JK Rowling has been facing a heap of controversy ever since her transphobic comments on Twitter a few years ago. Many have labeled her online as a TERF or Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist. Additionally, JK Rowling's desire not to back down has fueled the controversy even further. This is not the first time. If anyone takes a look at her career, they will find it pretty riddled with controversies.

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Three JK Rowling controversies to look at during Harry Potter boycott reports

1) Controversy with the transgender community

In 2019, JK Rowling first created negative waves on Twitter after she supported British researcher Maya Forstater. The latter was fired due to her transphobic comments. Although the controversy somewhat died down, in 2020, it resurfaced as the author doubled down on her comments.

The next year, on June 6, 2020, JK Rowling retweet an article that said "people who menstruate." She was offended that the op-ed didn't use the word "women," and in the caption, she sarcastically tweeted:

The tweet resulted in a lot of backlash as many thought Rowling was being dismissive of trans people. In a series of tweets, she went on to say that if gender is a social construct, then the living reality of women all around the world is erased.

She even went on to write a lengthy essay where she expressed that being a trans ally is not enough. She said that women now apparently have to say that there is no difference between them and trans people.

Many were quick to point out that JK Rowling, ironically enough, landed on the point unconsciously. They said that being a trans ally does mean that one accepts trans women as women and not as something else entirely.

Many fans who grew up with Harry Potter found the creator hypocritical and transphobic. The debate got so heated that even Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint came out in support of trans people and condemned JK Rowling for her comments.

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2) Appropriating Native American culture

JK Rowling released the history of wizards in North America from the 14th to the 17th century on the Pottermore website. It faced a massive backlash as Dr. Adrienne Keene from the Cherokee Nation, pointed out that this is an outrageous appropriation of indigenous people and is almost like colonialism. Dr. Keene, who teaches Native American studies at Brown University, said:

Navajo writer Brian Young also took to Twitter and said that he is saddened that his culture and beliefs are not just “fantasy” that can be used like a prop.

Many users saw this as JK Rowling trying to rewrite history or claim a certain part of history as her own imagination, taking deep offense. This was by far the biggest controversy J K Rowling has had other than her controversy with the transgender community.

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3) Changing the race of her character

J.K. Rowling (Photo by Paul Cunningham - Corbis/Courtesy of Getty Images/via IMDb)

In the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the world first got its black Hermione. While it is very diverse and inclusive, many took to Twitter to say that the character of Hermione was originally white. Many viewers saw this as tokenism off inclusivity, as the books lacked diversity, to begin with. Besides Cho Chang, Parvati, and Padma Patil in brief scenes, they said that there is hardly any diversity in the books or films.

While many still took this in a positive manner, saying it was the thought that mattered, it was still one of the biggest controversies of her career.

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There are also rumors of a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie to come out, although nothing has been confirmed. The rebooted TV show will reportedly come to screens around 2025 or 2026. Only time can tell what lies in the fate of the new ventures in the franchise.