HBO boss defends J.K. Rowling amid her divisive views

A new series about Harry Potter is in the works. However, questions have been raised over J.K. Rowling's involvement in the making amid her controversial views on gender.

HBO chief Casey Bloys, meanwhile, set aside these concerns...

The internet went crazy today when a rumor seemed to break through about the always-destined Harry Potter television show — specifically that while no series is actually in the works, WB is now officially shopping for writers and pitches for an HBO Max event. We did a quick-and-dirty reaction pod with our three hosts and our good friend Proma Khosla, a longtime LeakyCon staffer and Mashable entertainment reporter, to break down the news, what it means for the franchise, and what the fandom does now. 

Basically, we decided the fandom just needs to get a trillion dollars together and buy the franchise from JKR. 

You can follow Proma on Twitter at @promawhatup  and read her Mashable articles here!

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PotterCast presents their complete 2007 interview with author J.K. Rowling following the hysteria of the final Harry Potter book's release.

Episode 265 — Interview with J.K. Rowling

PotterCast is hosted by Melissa Anelli, John Noe, Frank Franco, and Zack Luye.

Find the latest episode and explore PotterCast interviews, discussions and more at PotterCast.com

Visit the-leaky-cauldron.org for the latest and greatest from Harry Potter's Wizarding World.

Welcome to a very special episode of PotterCast!

This week, J.K. Rowling angered and saddened many fans when she came out in support of a woman whose company had not renewed her employment contract because she refused to recognize the legally protected rights of trans people. In coming back from a months-long Twitter hiatus, J.K. Rowling mischaracterized the facts of the case in support of a dangerous and unscientific movement that invalidates the trans experience, and in doing so flies in the face of medical consensus worldwide.

Her comments also confused a lot of fans who are not fully familiar with the issues at stake, or cannot understand how someone whose book series is so vehemently about tolerance can express support for a woman whose views invalidate so many people's existences. That's why in this episode, we are going over it all.

Jackson Bird, longtime friend of the podcast and of Leaky, as well as author, trans activist and educator, and expert Waffler, joins us to explain and process what this means for Harry Potter fans. We discuss:

• What actually happened
• What J.K. Rowling said versus what happened to the woman in question, Maya Forstater
• Why many fans saw this coming
• What to do now that the creator of the series we love so dearly has taken this stance
• How to support trans and non-binary communities
• How we as fans are feeling about all of this
• What to do now, especially since we still love this community

We hope you'll listen and share. Here are some helpful resources, including things we mention in the show:

• Jack's book! SORTED: Growing up, coming out, and finding my place
• A list of information from medical communities around the world validating that trans and non-binary people exist
• GLAAD's transgender media program has great resources, FAQs, ways to take action, and ways to learn
• Transstudent.org has more Information regarding sex and gender
• GONADS, the great series by RadioLab

News articles regarding this incident:

• The Cut
• Vox (on British culture and the "gender critical" movement)
• The Mary Sue

News articles regarding past incidents that have also upset the community:

• The Mary Sue on Johnny Depp and the Crimes of Grindelwald
• Past indicators that J.K. Rowling was following trans-exclusionary ideologies
• The Guardian on J.K. Rowling's writings on Native American cultulre
• "The Harry Potter Series Makes a Mess of Its Commentary on Racism" — The Mary Sue
• "Is Fantastic Beasts 2 Racist? Not Quite" — The Washington Post

PotterCast and Leaky stand with our trans and non-binary friends and colleagues. 

This episode is in the process of being transcribed. For more, see pottercast.com.

"Harry Potter" mastermind J.K. Rowling has launched a new website called "Harry Potter at Home" to help distract families from the coronavirus crisis.

The author, 54, made a touching tribute to the late star, who tragically died in 2016 of pancreatic cancer, when a Harry Potter fan gushed about his portrayal of Severus Snape in the film franchise.

Rowling, J. K., author

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