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JK Rowling AXED from Harry Potter 20th anniversary special over views on transgenders

JK Rowling will not make any new appearances on the special after controversial comments about biological sex

Certain Harry Potter fans on social media are going "sksksks" after the announcement of the movie franchise's reunion, a celebration of the 20th Anniversary with a special titled 'Return to Hogwarts'. The special will air on HBO Max and a press release confirmed the return of the original cast - Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. The three haven't made an appearance together in public since the release of the final movie from the franchise which was released in July 2011. It's been a decade and the emotions of fans are running high following the announcement. However, the release didn't mention the name of the person that started it all.

Author JK Rowling who penned the books before they were adapted into movies won't be a part of the reunion. There is no official word about why she was left out but it wouldn't be surprising if it had to do something with the comments she made while defending biological sex. The author has continued to stir controversy with her comments on transgender people, most of which seem dismissive in nature. She has been criticized by fans as well and industry folks for her opinions over the years. 

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JK Rowling will not make new appearances in the 20th anniversary project 

Rowling has been axed from the project according to sources with knowledge about the same. They told TMZ that the reunion movie will focus on the creation of the first film which came out two decades ago, and the central cast and crew. They said Rowling isn't on the list and even if she features on the project, it would be through archival footage. She won't be making any new appearances for the 20th-anniversary celebration movie, sources confirmed. 

Rowling has openly criticized the use of gender-neutral terms through her Twitter page. In June 2020 she took an issue with the term "people who menstruate" used in an opinion piece. She shared the article with the caption, "I'm sure there used to be a word for these people. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?" She followed up that tweet with a thread where she discussed how she views biological sex. "If sex isn't real, there's no same-sex attraction,' she claimed. 'If sex isn't real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives," she tweeted. 

She continued creating controversies through her tweets and things came to a head in September last year after it was revealed that the villain in her new book 'Troubled Blood' was a male serial killer dressed as a woman to slay his victims. She faced renewed calls of transphobia and people on Twitter began to trend #RIPJKRowling. The stars of the Harry Potter movie too criticized her for the remarks she made. 

In an interview with Esquire, Rupert Grint said, "I am hugely grateful [for] everything that she’s done. I think that she’s extremely talented, and I mean, clearly, her works are genius. But yeah, I think also you can have huge respect for someone and still disagree with things like that... Sometimes silence is even louder. I felt like I had to because I think it was important too. I mean, I don’t want to talk about all that… Generally, I’m not an authority on the subject. Just out of kindness, and just respecting people. I think it’s a valuable group that I think needs standing up for."

Watson took to her own Twitter page, writing, "Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are. I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are. I donate to @Mermaids_Gender and @mamacash [two related charities]. If you can, perhaps you’ll feel inclined to do the same,” she said, adding “Happy #PRIDE2020. Sending love x.”