I am going to skip the part where I explain J.K. (A.K.A. Joanne) Rowling is the creator of the “Harry Potter” series. At this point, it would be like explaining who Shakespeare is. I will also go ahead and assume you are aware of the hurt she has caused the trans community.
Rowling is such a huge element of our current culture and will continue to be long after she is gone. She is as fascinating to our collective human consciousness as much as her books. People, whether they support her or not, hang on her every word.
This fascination with the most successful author of our generation is what drew me to a new podcast, “The Witch Trials Of J.K. Rowling.”
I was intrigued by the provocative title. Was the ire Rowling has drawn over the years really that awful to be compared to the literal burning of women? I was also drawn by the person hosting the podcast, Megan Phelps-Roper, a former member of the Westboro Baptist Church. Rarely is there a podcast where the host is just as if not more intriguing than the guest.
Phelps-Roper explains in the first episode how she reached out to Rowling for an interview. As a person who grew up with a extremist and hateful ideology forced upon her, who then gained new perspective from others she met via Twitter (including her now husband), Phelps-Roper deems herself uniquely qualified to speak on divisive issues.
The Rowling/Phelps-Roper conversation anchors the podcast, which serves as both an introspective into the cultural influence of “Harry Potter" and the evolving controversy of its creator.
Phelps-Roper begins the podcast by reminding viewers of Rowling's life up to the publication of “The Philosopher's Stone.” Though I, like many others, was well aware of the story of the single mother on government benefits writing what would become a world-changing novel, I was unaware of, or at least had forgotten about, the abuse that lead her to that experience. The podcast reminds the listener of the emotional, physical and psychological abuse Rowling suffered while in a relationship with her ex-husband. I believe this experience is what drives her passionate views on issues of gender, particularly violence against those who were born with vaginas. (More on that later.)
As of this writing, three episodes of “The Witch Trials" have aired, with the earliest ones focusing on the Christian Right's condemnation of “Harry Potter” and the calls to ban and even burn the books. The podcast weaves soundbites from outraged pastors and angry parents with current interviews to remind the listener of how much a small, but vocal sect of society loathed the popular book series. The episodes further show how Rowling was becoming more of a darling of the progressive left and seen as a champion for the marginalized.
Episode three sets up what I anticipate will be a deeper look into the ire Rowling has drawn from the trans community and progressives at large. In this episode, Phelps-Roper delves into the rise of online polarization and tribalism through the growth of tumblr and 4chan. Through soundbites from Internet and social media experts, Phelps-Roper explains how these two platforms, while drawing completely opposite users, were similar in how they forged communitiesthat pushed their users into accepting and promoting certain ideas. For 4chan, with its mainly cishet male followers, that meant a prevalence of posts about hyper masculinity and misogyny. For tumblr, with its mainly cishet female as well as LGBTQ followers, this meant a growing number of posts on gender identity. It should be noted that tumblr was also home to many Potter fans and where concerns about so-called progressive celebrities were shared.
The episode goes on to tell how the opinions shared on these smaller platforms would soon be found on Twitter, a massive public forum, and the place where Rowling would share what would lead to her fall from grace. I suspect in coming episodes, Rowling will attempt to explain herself and elicit some compassion from the audience. Whether or not she will earn it, or if the podcast does enough to give equal voice to the trans community remains to be seen.
What I can conclude thus far is Rowling, likely fueled by her experience, cares deeply about protecting people with vaginas from harm. She is not unfounded in this passion, as globally it is people born female who suffer the most in terms of gender-based violence, abuse and discrimination. One only has to look to the horrific experience of the women and girls in Afghanistan to affirm this fact.
Rowling cares deeply about this group of people, yet in what I believe was an earnest attempt to support those of us who have a vagina and identify as female, Rowling dismissed the very real violence and harm experienced by those in the trans community, regardless of their sex assigned at birth.
I look forward to listening and seeing if Rowling doubles down on her views or offers an explanation or even some sort of apology. Having never heard her speak in depth on this matter, I am intrigued to see what Phelps-Roper can coax out of her.
Regardless of what she says, Rowling is a compelling figure and the story of how she evolved from being despised by the Right to despised by the Left makes for one hell of a podcast.
From my view, Rowling comes off as a sympathetic figure in “The Witch Trials,” and this may be by design. I am curious to see if I still feel that way once the series is complete.
It is not lost on me that the release of this podcast also happened at a time when many states are considering stricter bans on the trans community and limiting access to life-affirming care. Though I don't dismiss the violent threats directed at her I wonder, if Rowling's feelings are what need defending right now, when many in the trans community fear for their safety.
“The Witch Trials Of J.K. Rowling" is available wherever you listen to your podcasts.