AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, File
The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling is a podcast series where the Harry Potter author will defend herself and her comments about transgender women that have caused controversy in recent years.
A trailer for the podcast, which debuts on February 21, was released on Monday. J.K. Rowling detailed what is behind the upcoming work.
“I agreed to sit down with Megan because, having read her wonderful book, Unfollow, I thought the two of us could have a real, interesting, two-sided conversation that might prove constructive. You can listen and find out for yourself here,” Rowling wrote in her announcement on Twitter.
The “Megan” behind the series is Megan-Phelps Roper, who defected from a small cult known as the Westboro Baptist Church, a group of religious extremists who protested at the funerals of U.S. soldiers and blame the tolerance of gay people as being behind the country’s woes.
In her own announcement, Phelps-Roper explained the podcast includes not just Rowling’s perspective, but the points of view of
Phelps-Roper wrote:
I’ve spent the better part of the past year speaking with people on all sides of this conflict: trans adults, teens, clinicians, and advocates; historians, reporters, authors; Christians who boycotted Potter in the 1990s; doctors, lawyers, and even experts on witch trials. I also sat down with Rowling in her Edinburgh home over the course of several days.
In a trailer for the podcast series, Rowling accused critics of “profoundly” misunderstanding her.
“What has interested me in recent years, particularly on social media [is when fans say], ‘You’ve ruined your legacy. Oh, you could have been beloved forever, but you chose to say this.’ And I think: ‘You could not have misunderstood me more profoundly,'” she said.
The author also claimed she never “intended” to hurt anyone with her views.
“I never set out to upset anyone. However, I was not uncomfortable with getting off my pedestal,” she said.
Rowling has stated she supports transgender people, but she’s earned backlash and calls for boycotts for criticizing medical treatments for minors, as well as gender-neutral language.
“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased,” Rowling tweeted on June 6, 2020. “I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn
According to Rowling though, attempts to cancel her have only led to more book sales.