News/Commentary

‘Harry Potter’ star defends J.K. Rowling: ‘I would support her in that, I think, if it came to it’

April 22, 2023 | | Print Article

Actor Jim Broadbent, who played Professor Horace Slughorn in three “Harry Potter ” films, has come out in defense of author JK Rowling’s position on transgender issues, asserting that he would take on her critics “if it came to it.”

He commented that the abuse heaped on Rowling over her stance was “really sad.”

The left and trans rights activists have done their level best to cancel Rowling after she remarked four years ago that women should not be pushed out of their jobs for believing biological sex is real.

Broadbent, who is now 73 and still heavily into acting, told The Daily Telegraph in an interview that he could never have foreseen “cancel culture” when he first went into acting.

https://twitter.com/AndyJam15959991/status/1649666773384323072

The actor made his comment after Rowling tweeted Thursday that she had “laid in a large stock of champagne” after hearing that trans rights supporters were planning to boycott a new TV series adaptation of her books. A 10-year television series will see the comeback of the Harry Potter tales on HBO.

“Dreadful news, which I feel duty bound to share. Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show. As forewarned is forearmed, I’ve taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne,” she tweeted.

Broadbent also went against the leftist current, claiming that able-bodied actors should be able to play disabled roles. It’s a practice known in acting circles as “crippling up.”

“I think JK Rowling is amazing. I haven’t had to confront it myself, but I would support her in that, I think, if it came to it,” he responded when asked about Rowling’s position on single-sex spaces, trans rights, and gender.

Rowling has not backed down on her opinions concerning transgenderism and biological sex delineation. The more the left pounds her over it, the more she digs in her heels on the subject.

Leftists have viciously attacked the author over her views. She got into a heated confrontation with former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon over Scotland’s decision to introduce Gender Recognition Certificates for 16 and 17-year-olds, according to the Daily Mail as just one example.

Rowling was also castigated for supporting Posie Parker, also known as Kellie-Jay Keen, who is a women’s rights activist.

(Video Credit: nzherald.co.nz)

(Video Credit: GBNews)

The Daily Mail is reporting that Parker embarked on a tour across Australia and New Zealand, which dozens of neo-Nazis attended. The media outlet claims that groups of men could be seen performing Nazi salutes at the Parker rallies. It should be noted that they all wore black face masks, so there is a solid chance they were plants.

Parker also incensed leftists when she called the “so-called LGBT community” nothing more than “a bunch of f***ing men in dresses.”

Rowling has been at odds with a number of Harry Potter actors over her statements on transgenderism.

Emma Watson, who has been an outspoken critic of Rowling, took a jab at the author as well, “Trans people are who they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.”

Rupert Grint contended, “I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers. Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment.”

Daniel Radcliffe claimed that many trans individuals were left “hurt” by the author’s comments.

The actor insisted that “trans women are women” in November and said he wanted to let members of the LGBT+ community know “not everybody in the franchise felt that way.”

“The reason I felt very, very much as though I needed to say something when I did was because, particularly since finishing Potter, I’ve met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that,” he added. “And so seeing them hurt on that day I was like, I wanted them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important.”

It all began when Rowling tweeted in 2020 about an opinion piece published by the website Devex that used the phrase “people who menstruate.”

“I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” Rowling tweeted.

Radcliffe, who had his career launched by Rowling, turned on her without a second thought, “To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you.”

 

Latest posts by Terresa Monroe-Hamilton (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles