HARRY Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is celebrating its 25th anniversary, but there is one key figure noticeably absent. After its release in 1997, it became the third best-selling novel of all time, and established JK Rowling as one of the world’s most loved and best-selling authors; but now, some claim she is being erased from her legacy altogether.
Where it began...
The Philosopher’s Stone – JK’s debut novel – is the first time we meet Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical powers on his 11th birthday, when he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. First published in the UK on June 26, 1997 by Bloomsbury, the Harry Potter bug soon caught on globally. It has sold more than 120 million copies, making it the third best-selling novel of all time.
So what’s the problem?
JK joined the ongoing culture war and publicly spoke about her position on women’s rights and gender. She claimed on Twitter that in some circumstances, women and girls should have the right to single-sex spaces – prompting accusations of transphobia, which she denies. She wrote a blog in reaction to an article that defined women as “people who menstruate” detailing her interest in trans issues that stemmed from being a survivor of abuse.
What do other key players in the Harry Potter franchise think?
Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the films, said: “Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people.” He added that he hopes JK's comments about gender will not “taint” the Harry Potter series for fans.
Eddie Redmayne, who leads the cast of the Fantastic Beasts movies, criticised her comments about transgender issues. He said: “I disagree with Jo’s comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid.”
Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger, said: “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.”
What’s this about JK being erased?
Most recently, Sky News was told by a PR not to bring up JK Rowling’s name in an interview with Tom Felton. Sky claimed its reporter was interrupted mid-flow and made to redirect the line of questioning. It reported: “When
we asked why, the response on email from the third-party PR running the event was “JK Rowling is not connected to Warner or Tom Felton, the team felt it was not relevant to the piece”... Not, that is, aside from the fact she created Harry Potter and was executive producer on the films.
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