Variety on JK Rowling

[ArabellaScott]

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/harry-potter-hbo-series-jk-rowling-transphobia-1236215642/

HBO are supporting Rowling. To the bewilderment and despair of Variety, and the author of some Harry Potter themed cookbook or something.

A delightful article in which the writer attempts to find a reverse gear on their ferret-pulled bandwagon.

“The Unofficial Harry Potter Vegan Cookbook"

🤣

The author of the ‘Unofficial Harry Potter Vegan Cookbook’ surveyed 250 fans & found that ‘79% of cisgender respondents felt conflicted about buying a new HP-related product’ so he suggested that when someone buys a new wand they could offset the purchase by donating to a trans charity.

Since he doesn’t mention how many ‘cisgender’ respondents there were, he might be talking about a couple of people or a couple of hundred people.

I’m pretty certain this article isn’t meant to be funny.

"Campaign against trans identity " doesn't seem quite fair. She's said people should express themselves however they like but that biological sex exists and is important.

Despite how she's portrayed, she has never expressed a desire to wipe all trans people from the face of the earth.

Very interesting article.

Warner Brothers/HBO are all out on supporting her and making as much money for JKR and themselves as possible.

HBO chief Casey Bloys told reporters at a press event on Nov. 12 that Rowling was "very, very involved in the process selecting the writer and the director," and her anti-trans statements "haven't affected the casting or hiring of writers or productions staff" for the show. And a spokesperson for the network said in a statement to Variety that its parent company has "been working with J.K. Rowling and in the Harry Potter business for over 20 years" and "her contribution has been invaluable."
"We are proud to once again tell the story of Harry Potter - the heartwarming books that speak to power of friendship, resolve and acceptance," the statement continued. "J.K. Rowling has a right to express her personal views. We will remain focused on the development of the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement."

Meanwhile genderist Potterheads can't tear themselves away. JKR's world is just too addictive. Keep telling yourself you can use JKR's work without supporting her. Fact is you can't really. She created something too powerful.

I think the timing of the series in 2026 will be key should hit just as the gender waggon will be coming fully off the rails in many places. The lawsuits will be hitting, coverups exposed etc.

Expect a lot of people to start backing JKR again.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-witch-trials-of-j-k-rowling/id1671691064

this is a superb limited number of podcasts where someone is interviewing J. K. Rowling about her position. I’m not at all on the fence about what she said as I think it needed to be said, but if you are, this will probably help you decide.

100%

This podcast v good. IIRC the creator wasn’t in support of JKR at beginning of project … but it’s balanced research

Many Film and TV studios have had more flops than hits in recent years and have lost money hand over fist. Pushing the message has been a contributing factor to the flops. Warner Brothers/HBO will want this to be a success, therefore, logic means they should continue with JKR's input and ignore the vegan book author.

Good lord, the fans of Harry Potter who feel so conflicted because they disagree with JK but can't tear themselves away from Harry Potter need to develop a bit of a backbone. Get some principles. If they feel so strongly about it then they should abandon all Harry Potter products and content but they just can't seem to do it. It's hilarious. It's the equivalent of someone who feels very strongly about the horrors of domestic violence listening to Chris Brown's music.

So they want to profit from her body of work as a pathetic limpet but they don't want her to be involved in her own work?? Er... what even is this? Death of the author taken to the extreme? Biting the hand that feeds you? Being a gigantic arsehole? So much going on here!

If I was JKR I'd be tempted to get a cease and desist on the Wanky Nothing To Do With Harry Potter Cookbook. AFAIK (and IANAL) you can't use someone's fictional IP in this way even if you call it unofficial, you can just write "unofficial" work based on real living persons using known facts like unofficial biographies.

Well, fanfiction exists (in large quantities!).

I think you can but you are meant to acknowledge that you don't own the characters.

It is a constant debate isn't it? Can you, should you, separate the artist from the art.

I quite like Harry Potter, i don't consume all the things though, i'm more about using the books as a bit of mindless comfort reading, ditto the films. But i know how hard it is when you have invested a lot of your time in really getting into something then the author turns out to be a real nazi, or child abuser.

In my case (yes Marion Zimmer Bradley, i am talking about you) I had pretty much read (and mostly loved) all the Darkover novels. But then i found out that she covered up and enabled child abuse, so there was a problem. She's dead, there are no more books to buy so her estate doesn't benefit from me re-reading. On the other hand, all the work is tainted. So i binned them. Literally dumped them in the paper recycling. Other authors - Dahl for eg - i have more of a problem in abandoning.

So the genderists need to decide if they want to consume the content, consume but purchase no more, consume and purchase and feel bad, consume and purchase and make a matching donation to a trans charity etc etc. But oh lord what i want them to do most of all is STFU about it.

I ❤JKR!

Fanfiction is not for profit though. There's a difference between commercially using IP and using it for "personal use". Fanfic is often a grey area but most authors/publishers turn a blind eye as the benefits outweigh the costs (to the fandom) of enforcing their legal rights. Someone can't create a new commercial work based on my work without licensing my work and having my permission, but they can post a derivative story on Wattpad.

oh yeah, fanfic. They can post all the disclaimers about not owning the IP or the characters or whatever, but if the authors/creators want them to stop they will make it stop. Anne Rice is (was?) famous for cease and desist letters to the extent that most fanfic hosting sites won't touch any of that with a bargepole (am aware that a lot of it is out there though, indicating that it is difficult to totally put a stop to it)

That vegan cookbook person appears to have based the whole brand on its 'inspiration' of Harry Potter.

It's something to make a living ripping off someone else's ideas. Something else to then bang on about how.evil the person is that you're stealing from.

That is an unintentionally hilarious and pointless article. It’s going to be good, everyone will love it and there’s absolutely nothing they can do about it except lie on the floor kicking their legs in the air. I don’t particularly like Harry Potter but JKR’s steadfastness in the face of all of this is amazing and boy does she have a way with words.

Oh Lord someone I used to like writes HP fanfiction and is a full on genderist. She recently added a trans character into a fic on the basis she 'couldn't' return to the HP world without one 🙄

C'mon JKR please sue Variety for defamation (she's not anti trans, she's pro woman) and the Vegan cookbook for copyright infringement. It would be so easy.....

One thing I've always loved about JKR, and there's a lot to love, is how generous she is about people using her work. But when they're defaming and slurring you and by extension all normal people with a grasp on biological reality, then that's the time to call the lawyers.

That led Starr to start exploring ways for fans to “offset” the purchase of Potter material. “If you buy a new wand, can you donate a portion of that to a transgender charity?” he says. “There are so many fans who deeply disagree with what Rowling is saying, but still want to engage in the Harry Potter fandom.”

That is so First World 😂😂😂

It's an indulgence, isn't it? Give us money and we will forgive your sins.

Its like the people who buy books just to burn them...

If you don't wish to support JKR, don't buy products.
If you do buy stuff... just remember that she donates millions to charities and there's probably a lit of them you would support.

jkr has addressed the book-burners

I think that book-burning tweet comes high on the list of "things that didn't happen"!

OMG yes! Enacted by the priestly caste

Thing is I think JKR has the right attitude here. Remember when Hogwarts Legacy came out there was a huge attempt to cancel the game. Lots of crazy articles about how evil she was.

Result the publicity increased sales. JKR made we can guess something like 100 million from that game - WHICH she had nothing directly to do with.

The Streisand effect really works here. Especially as JKR's very liberal work is now "antiwoke" so weirdly she has an extra conservative fan base of people 10 years might say she was Satanic.

If you go on twitter and directly attack JKR with libel then she will lawyer up if needed. Otherwise she doesn't bother. I mean these haters are making her money at the end of the day which she will use to make the world a better place.

The new TV series is if they do a good job going to be wildly popular and making watch a kids show a daring edgy thing because it is created by a pro-woman person is only going to highlight that.

It could mark a turning point. Will reverse ferreting occur? I think so.