He said the story of Harry Potter is “clearly on the side of the angels, against intolerance and bigotry.”
Actor John Lithgow, who has been cast to play Albus Dumbledore in the upcoming HBO Max Harry Potter series, has distanced himself from author JK Rowling over her comments regarding women and transgenderism.
Speaking with the New York Times, Lithgow said he has never met Rowling, and does not agree with her views on transgenderism. Rowling has been a strong supporter of women’s rights and how a person’s biological sex cannot be changed.
Lithgow said his decision to take up the role was met with pushback that "stung." Aud Mason-Hyde, Lithgow’s transgender co-star in the film Jimpa, told Out that the actor’s decision to take the role was "disconcerting." Mason-Hyde added, "There's an element of this that feels vaguely hurtful."
Lithgow said he had considered quitting the series, but decided not to, saying that he accepts that in "every interview I will ever do for the rest of my life this will come up." He said the story of Harry Potter is "clearly on the side of the angels, against intolerance and bigotry."
In April, over 400 actors and entertainment industry figures, including the actor chosen to play Severus Snape in the HBO series, Paapa Essiedu, signed an open letter supporting the transgender community following the landmark UK Supreme Court decision that defined gender based on biological sex.
The letter urged entertainment organizations such as the BBC and BAFTA to “condemn” the Supreme Court’s decision by “using their public platforms to make meaningful commitments to protecting trans, non-binary, and intersex members, talent and staff from discrimination within their respective organisations.”
Rowling criticized the letter, writing, "In light of recent open letters from academia and the arts criticising the UK’s Supreme Court ruling on sex-based rights, it’s possibly worth remembering that nobody sane believes, or has ever believed, that humans can change sex, or that binary sex isn’t a material fact. These letters do nothing but remind us of what we know only too well: that pretending to believe these things has become an elitist badge of virtue."
"I often wonder whether the signatories of such letters have to quieten their consciences before publicly boosting a movement intent on removing women's and girls' rights, which bullies gay people who admit openly they don't want opposite sex partners, and campaigns for the continued sterilisation of vulnerable and troubled kids. Do they feel any qualms at all while chanting the foundational lie of their religion: Trans Women are Women, Trans Men are Men?"
She later added, "Court losses are starting to stack up. The condescension, overreach, entitlement and aggression of gender activists is eroding public support daily. Women are fighting back and winning significant victories. Sporting bodies have miraculously awoken from their slumber and remembered that males tend to be larger, stronger and faster than females. Parts of the medical establishment are questioning cutting healthy breasts off teenaged girls is really the best way to fix their mental health problems."
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