JK Rowling and the Audacity of the T.E.R.F.S
If I said the name Harry Potter, what comes to mind? A boy with a lightning scar? A man with no nose? A lady in all pink? Hopefully, the woman who wrote it all Joanne Rowling, also known as JK Rowling. One of the most influential authors in history, one of the richest women in the world, a survivor of abuse, a mother, a daughter, a sister, but most importantly, a writer. Her writing has gone on to inspire millions of children, giving them a world filled with magic and adventure, with 32 books, seventeen movies, and over 40 awards. The generation that Rowling has created with her books will be the generation to change her narrative and the story she has created. Ms. Rowling has gone from an international superstar to a woman who is ignored and talked about in hush tones, as her transphobic comments have been the final blow to her career. Although she is the writer of a multi-billion-dollar franchise(s), Ms. Rowling has become a controversial topic in living rooms all around the world.
Biography
It all began at Kings Cross station, not just for Harry Potter, but for JK Rowling’s parents. On a nine-hour train ride Anne Volant and Peter Rowling, members of the Royal Navy, had a rare encounter. The two would meet, speak, fall in love, and eventually marry each other (Steffens). Shortly after the nuptials, Rowling was born on the 31st of July 1965 in Yate, England (The Editors). The couple was in hopes of a boy but instead received a girl. If she had been a boy, they would have named her Simon John, but being a girl, they gave her Joanne (Ross, 01:05–1:10). After her sister Dianne was born, she asked her parents where they were disappointed with her? they said no (Ross, 01:38–1:40). Their disappointment was evident. They treated her like a boy, dressing her in blue and her sister in pink. The children received nicknames Jo and Di, and they were very much inseparable. The girls had played, watched cartoons, and listened to stories together (Steffens). Growing up surrounded by books, Rowling would force her sister to listen to her first attempts at storytelling. Her first story was called Rabbit: a story about a rabbit named rabbit, a creature beloved by Rowling and her sister (Steffens).
The Rowling family grew up comfortably, although neither of her parents had attended university: Her father was an aircraft engineer at Rolls Royce, and her Mother was a Highschool science technician who would later work at Rowling’s High School (Shamsian). The family would soon move to 35 Nichols lane in Winterbourne, their first home (Steffens). Of the several families living on Nichols Lane, one family Rowling would remember forever, the Potters. Rowling would become quick friends with the children of the family, Ian, and Vicki Potter. Ian would become her later inspiration for Harry Potter.
To Rowling, Ian Potter had a great sense of humor, a flair for mischief, and wild hair (Trombetta). Ian was the source of Rowling’s adventures as a child. He tricked Rowling and her sister into leaving their footprints in the wet cement (Steffens). Another time Ian had once placed a slug on a plate and tried to convince Rowling, it was a delectable treat (Steffens). Rowling would sometimes read poetry to Ian, Vicki, and her sister Dianne, a calm activity compared to the other adventures the quad would have.
The Rowling’s would soon move to Church Cottage near the forest of dean. A place where The Golden Trio would camp during the final installment of Harry Potter. Rowling’s parents would enroll her in Tutsil Primary. From Tutsil to Wyedean Comprehensive School, teachers would notice Rowling’s writing ability. Her teachers would try their best to encourage her to develop her creative talents (Steffens). At this time, she seriously considered becoming a writer. The only person she had told was her best friend, Sean Harris (Ross 5:40-5:44). They both felt like outsiders. Rowling and Harris found comfort in each other (Ross 6:00-6:10). Sean would later become an inspiration for Ron, Harry’s best friend. Harry and Ron would find solace in each other, like Rowling and Harris. Harry an outsider to the magical world. Ron, an outsider to his large family. The pair became quick friends on the train ride to Hogwarts, a friendship to last for ages.
In 1982 after being rejected by the University of Oxford, Rowling was accepted by the University of Exeter. At the university, she would gain her Bachelor of Arts in French and Classics (The Rowling Library). Rowling began to assert her independence and learned much about the world around her, even studying abroad in Paris (Steffens). Graduating from Exeter with honors in 1987, Rowling would move to London, having a multitude of secretarial jobs. Rowling was never good at her secretarial jobs, and she was not proud. Rowling described herself as one of the most disorganized people in the world (Steffens). From there, Rowling and her boyfriend would move to Manchester, where she worked in the chamber of commerce (The Rowling Library).
In July of 1990, on a four-hour-train delay from Manchester to London, the idea for Harry Potter rushed into her head (The Rowling Library). One of the most physical rushes of excitement she had ever felt (Ross 7:30-33). Rowling could see Harry, a very scrawny little boy on the platform. Although she had nothing to write her thoughts down with, her head filled with all these ideas. She would begin writing that same night when she arrived at home (The Rowling Library). From the Manchester train ride and beyond, Harry Potter and JK Rowling are two names that will always be intertwined.
Mother and Child: JK Rowling and Harry Potter
Over the next five years, Rowling would begin to map out all seven books of the series. Through the death of her mother, child bear, divorce, poverty, and depression, Rowling still held on and completed the first book. Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone was complete in 1995 (Newsweek Special Edition).
Developing the Harry Potter World, Rowling would consistently draw inspiration from her own life. Sean Harris, an inspiration for Ron, herself for Hermione, her chemistry teacher for Snape, traits of Ian for Harry Potter, and the twins. The white ford Angola Ron drove in the second book; her best-friend Sean had a similar car in their teen years. Harry had so many father figures because Rowling herself had a difficult relationship with her father. Rowling has not spoken to her father since 2003 (Macaskill).
Rowling made sure to give all characters a complete history. She developed personalities and backgrounds. She knew most of it would never make it into the books. For example, Sirius Black, Harry’s Godfather, had his whole childhood worked out for him, and almost none of it made it into the books (Steffens). Rowling wanted to know these characters for her personal development and the story. She wanted the readers to feel like the author knew everything.
Rowling had spent several months developing the main character, Harry Potter (Steffens). Rowling always liked the name, Harry. If her daughter Jessica was a boy, it is what she would have named her. She faced many crises, including Harry’s gender. Rowling finally settled on a boy, a battle with her feministic ideology. Harry had wild black hair, vivid green eyes, speckles, and a distinctive lightning scar. Rowling decided that Harry would have glasses, and Harry’s cousin Dudley would punch him in the nose breaking his glasses. Rowling had a similar scuffle from her school days (Steffens).
In the mind of Rowling and her words, Harry Potter would be an orphan. Harry’s parents died when he was a baby. Harry would also be a good athlete, a natural talent. Something that Rowling never was. He would play a demanding position like seeker on the quidditch team. Harry can be self-absorbed and insensitive (Steffens). Harry can be judgmental, judging things by their appearance. In an interview, Rowling said, “When he looks beneath the surface, he has found that he is being fooled by people. And on other occasions, he finds very nice surprises” (Rodgers). Rowling had created flaws to go with his strengths. To her, a literary character who comes across as perfect is not believable (Steffens). But above all else, Harry would be brave, a trait that Rowling valued the most.
Rowling had constructed a traditional character in a traditional story. A small child that has powers no other children has (“Harry Potter Interview J.K. Rowling,” 01:00–01:40). Coming from a terrible background, Harry Potter escapes. Potter escapes into a world where there isn’t much adult control, his school is haunted and dangerous, but it is one of the only places to welcome him home (“Harry Potter Interview J.K. Rowling,” 01:40–01:50).
An important theme throughout all seven books that Rowling carefully develops is good vs. evil. Rowling uses her characters to show that good eventually prevails evil (“Good vs. Evil· Harry Potter: Universal Themes · Harry Potter and the Muggle World”). It was challenging because she had to write with her target audience in mind, not a way that is too subtle for the children to miss, but not too overbearing to the point of not reading. Harry will represent love, hope, and friendship, and Voldemort, the person that took everything from Harry, is pure evil. Voldemort represents hatred, greed, and intolerance (“Good vs. Evil· Harry Potter: Universal Themes · Harry Potter and the Muggle World”). Voldemort promotes cruelty and segregation on those who do not have pureblood status. Although, Voldemort himself is a half-blood. Harry, in contrast, is accepting of all individuals. Friendship and loyalty are most important to him (“Good vs. Evil· Harry Potter: Universal Themes · Harry Potter and the Muggle World”).
Some characters remain morally ambiguous, including Dumbledore and Snape. They are good people, they have sacrificed for the greater good, but they have committed wronging. Dumbledore, leaving Harry with an abusive family, or not communicating to Harry his prophetic duties. Or Snape, being a death eater (Voldemort’s followers), and actively bullying his students. A common debate in the Potter Fandom is the morality of Snape and Dumbledore. Many of the kids, who’ve grown up reading Harry Potter, read the story through a rosy lens, and now are much older and more critical of the characters. The Potter fandom even criticizes Rowling herself, with the literary decisions she has made. With her theme of good versus evil, Rowling tries to emphasize we all have good and evil inside of us, but it is our choice on which we choose to act (“Good vs. Evil· Harry Potter: Universal Themes · Harry Potter and the Muggle World”). While writing the story, Rowling wanted to remain whimsical, witty, and rhythmic (Pringle). She took the blueprints and made Harry’s story flow together. Rowling created a world that would welcome children for ages. Rowling was rejected by twelve publishers before, being picked up by Bloomsbury publishing. When Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone hit the shelves in 1997, it became an instant hit (Newsweek Special Edition).
The Impact of Harry Potter: JK Rowling vs The Potterhead
Harry Potter was a massive success. Massive is an understatement after the initial run of 500 copies in 1997(Porter), Harry Potter and Philosopher’s Stone sold over 120 million copies worldwide (Porter). Rowling wrote six more books, selling hit after hit. Rowling eventually became the first author with three books on the New York Times best-seller list. The Harry Potter Series sold 500 million copies worldwide and translated into 80 different languages (Pottermore). Rowling has won over 40 awards for the Harry Potter series including, the prestigious Hans Christian Anderson award (Bloomsbury), only given to children writers at the top of their field. All Rowling wanted to do was be a full-time writer. In 1998 Harry Potter was picked up by scholastic. Giving Rowling a 100,000 dollar advance, Rowling got to live out of her dream of being a full-time writer (Ross).
Soon Rowling would be approached by different production companies. Rowling eventually selected the Warner Brothers. Rowling got to work closely on the screenplay to bring Harry Potter to the big screen. The first Harry Potter Movie: Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone (changed in the US), made $924 million worldwide in the first run (Close). The films discovered some of the best actors of their generation Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione), Rupert Glint (Ron Weasley), and Robert Pattison (Cedric Diggory). A lot of icons such as Alan Rickman (Snape), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix), and Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall) were in the films. All eight films generated a total of 6.5 billion dollars worldwide (Close). The Harry Potter franchise is worth 25 billion dollars (Close).
The final installment of Harry Potter was published on 21 July 2007. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows ran with an initial imprint of 12 million copies. The final installment sold 65 million copies (Rich). On the big-screen, part 1 of deathly hallows made 976 million dollars worldwide at the box office. Part two of deathly hallows made 1.3 billion dollars worldwide (McCreary).
Harry Potter is a popular series because Rowling established a world where the real, the supernatural, the natural, and the mythical meet and juxtaposes (Beach and Harden Willner). She connected aspects of the world we live in into the world of Harry and his friends. The story starts simple, but the more we dive into Harry’s story, the more complex, more compelling it becomes. The readers grow up with Harry, many of the struggles Harry face, the readers themselves are facing or have faced.
The character Harry Potter had a lack of power in his own life. The people around him would push and pull him in multiple directions. Harry had little to no power over his life. And many children who read the Harry Potter novels felt like they too had a lack of power in their own lives (Beach and Harden Willner). Harry was an orphan unwanted by his Aunt and Uncle. But one day, Harry finds out he is special. When Harry discovers his difference, it changes everything. He goes to a world where he is welcomed every time. Besides his magic, Harry has another ability. He can stand up for himself and those around him. Harry Potter became a beacon of hope and power for kids and adults alike. Children and some adults not only identified with Harry but with Hermione, Ron, Luna, Draco, Ginny, Neville, or even Seamus. The readers found someone to relate to someone in a world different from theirs.
The Harry Potter Series was a gift from Rowling. The readers took the book and made it theirs, weaving the character and places into their lives. Once a young woman approached Rowling on the street and said to her, “You were my childhood”. To her, there was nothing better than knowing that children loved her books, that her words were a valuable part of their world. Rowling influenced a generation of thinkers and people who are willing to fight the system, people who want to change.
Her fandom is anyone and everyone who felt invisible, who wanted more, who was the smartest, the weirdest, or the slowest. Her readers all around the world found solace in these books. Harry and his world quickly became their lifelines. Once long ago, those books were Rowling’s lifeline too.
Life After Harry and The Controversy
After the Harry Potter series and movie franchise finished, JK Rowling took a break. Rowling focused on her crime novels. Averting from the public eye, Rowling still gave bits and pieces of information left out of the books. In October of 2007, a few months after the publication of deathly hallows. Giving a reading to a crowd of 1,600 students, Rowling was asked, Did Dumbledore, who believed in the prevailing power of love, ever fall in love himself? Rowling replied, “The truthful answer to you, I always thought of Dumbledore as gay” (Smith). The audience reportedly fell silent, then erupted into prolonged applause (Smith). She continued to explain Dumbledore’s intense relationship with Grindelwald (Smith). This declaration of Dumbledore’s sexuality started JK Rowling on a long track-record for performative activism and to some fans un-necessary edits.
Many asked her why? How could you say Dumbledore was gay and give no illusions to it? Devoted Harry Potter fans felt betrayed by JK Rowling. Fans were long frustrated by the lack of representation in the books (Renfro). In the story, two known characters are black, Angelina Johnson and Dean Thomas. Harry dates an east Asian Character named Cho Chang. For fans in the Asian community, her given name made no sense. It becomes unclear if Chang is meant to be Chinese or Korean. Chang had been given two surnames. Although it has been argued that Cho could be a shortened version of a name, but Rowling never made it clear. Fans speculated the worse, making Rowling appear lazy. Also, there were two south Asian characters, Padma and Parvati Patil, but they too fell short on the representation spectrum. For the Yule Ball during the 4th year, Padma and Parvati wore traditional robes that did not reflect their Indian culture accurately. Many Indian artists drew fan art that was much more appealing and represented them.
Rowling’s audience is diverse, filled with different races, genders, sexualities, religions, and many of the readers wanted the books to reflect that diversity. If you said a character is gay, why, is it not reflected in the reading? Although many of her readers had viewed the original work fondly. When diversity failed, many fans turned to fan fiction and fan art, depicting their favorite characters as people of color. But it was not only a diversity problem but also a story problem. A lot of the readers did not like the way Rowling portrayed certain characters or storylines or even relationships. The readers created a deep bond with the characters, and most felt they knew best concerning Rowling’s world. Two worlds existed, the world of JK Rowling and the world of the Fandom. Even long after the ending of the Harry Potter world, the fans continue to give Harry a life of his own.
When it was revealed that Rowling was working on a prequel called Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, based on the first wizarding war with Grindelwald; The fans had hoped we would see snips of Grindelwald and Dumbledore’s relationship on screen. Fans were disappointed again (Renfro). Dumbledore’s sexuality is not an easter egg, Rebecca, a long-time fan wrote (Renfro). The fans were not expecting a Rom-Com, but they wanted to see Dumbledore battle his emotions, someone he loved has turned into a monster (Renfro). No one would be passive if put in his situation. The fans feel that Rowling has handled diversity poorly. She wanted to be an ally by letting Dumbledore leave the closet, but instead, she made a big mess. In defense of Rowling, she created a world and background for all her characters. She knew not all of it would make it into the books or movies, but something as big a Dumbledore’s sexuality should have not been announced with any visual or literary representation.
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is the result of Rowling, Tiffany, and Thorne. It gives us what happens 19 years later. We meet Harry and his family. Harry got married to Ron’s sister Ginny, and they had three kids together James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna. Ron and Hermione got married and had two kids. Essentially the cursed child is the extension of the epilogue. The Cursed Child opened on Broadway in 2018, winning six Tony awards, including best play and best direction for a play (Akawebdev). A lot of the unhappy fans did not like the cursed child because it read more like fanfiction than a story written by Rowling (Shepherd). Some fans have even gone on to claim that the cursed child is not canon. In my theory, a reason for the hatred towards Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is that it messes with head cannons. Fans had their theories on what happened to the Golden Trio after the war. For example, some people believe that Ginny and Harry broke up after the war. Or some believe that instead of becoming Head Auror, Harry became the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. In 2019 one of the most popular fan pairings was Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. Harry and Ginny didn’t even appear on the list. The fan’s world differs very much from the world Rowling created.
More cursed child controversy arose in December of 2015. The London West Theatre’s production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child announced that a black actress would play adult Hermione Granger (Poniewozik). The announcement caused a big uproar, not only for her fandom but for Rowling herself. Rowling responded to the news of Black Hermione by tweeting “Brown eyes, frizzy hair, and very clever” and “White skin was never specified” (Poniewozik).
In the Harry Potter Novels, Harry or Hermione’s skin color was never specified. Although Harry and Hermione were envisioned as white-people, Rowling was never explicit. The interpretation was up to the fans. Some of her fans were genuinely upset because they thought Rowling was changing the canon. While others thought she was after brownie points, proving she wakes. The fandom provided evidence from her books. In Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban, it states, “Ron looking incredibly freckly, Hermione very brown” (Rowling). Later in the same book, it says, “Hermione’s white face was sticking out from behind a tree” (Rowling). There are two ways of interpreting this (a) Hermione is only brown after a vacation. Or (b) Hermione is only pale because at that moment she was frightened. When some catch a fright, they pale. In an interview with CNN (France), Rowling said, “I had a bunch of racists telling me that because Hermione ‘turned white’ — that is, lost (color) from her face after a shock — that she must be a white woman, which I have a great deal of difficulty with. But I decided not to get too agitated about it and simply state quite firmly that Hermione can be a black woman with my absolute blessing and enthusiasm.” It was not only her that loved black Hermione many fans of the books and movies fully embraced it. The artwork exploded, drawing Hermione as a black woman. A lot of readers thought that Hermione being black fit with the story itself. Hermione is a muggle, a person of non-witch ancestry. Many including, Voldemort, thought that muggles were impure, unlike purebloods or half-bloods, who have magical ancestry. They even used the slur mud-blood to discriminate and cause harm. It parallels many of the hardships- people of color faced in a white-dominated world.
Rowling’s most serious offense was for transphobic comments she made in early June of 2020. Rowling re-tweeted an op-ed piece that discussed people who menstruate. Rowling took issue that the post did not use the word women (Gardner). She had tweeted, “I am sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone helps me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” (Rowling, “J.K. Rowling on Twitter”). Her subtweet was not only offensive to trans-women, who do not menstruate, but to cis-gendered women who do not. A woman does not have to menstruate to be a real woman. Rowling went on further to say “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It doesn’t hate to speak the truth,” (Rowling, “J.K. Rowling on Twitter”). Rowling further tweeted “The idea that women like me, who’ve been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they’re vulnerable in the same way as women—i.e., to male violence—‘hate’ trans people because they think sex is real and has lived consequences—is nonsense.”(Rowling, “J.K Rowling on Twitter”). Rowling would try to explain her side, but the damage had been done. The people of the internet had labeled her a T.E.R.F, a trans-exclusionary radical feminist. Rowling herself identifies as a feminist, inspired by feminist Jessica Mitford (Steffens).
Rowling had tried to separate the experience of trans-women from cis-gendered women, not realizing they are both women. The experience of women is diverse. The women’s experience is not something you can place into a box. Biological sex does not determine whether you’re a woman. Rowling missed the point. Yes, same-sex attraction does exist, but with sex, we associate gender, and gender is a concept that is socially constructed (World Health Organization). There is no right way to be a woman or a man. And many of Rowling’s fans are a part of the LGBTQ+ community, the comments had offended many people, and of course, there was immediate backlash.
Mallory Rubin firmly reminded everyone what Harry Potter is about, love, magic, acceptance, and belonging (Gardner). Rubin went on to further emphasize, trying to take that away from someone is cruel (Gardner). Actors of the Harry Potter franchise, such as Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Glint, Bonnie Wright, spoke out on Rowling’s comments, encouraging fans not to let her ruin the books for them, and that trans women are real women.
Rowling had already been a controversial figure, but now she was despised even by her fandom. Ever since June of 2020, any public figure that has announced doing work with her has been put under fire. Their mortalities and beliefs were questioned. JK Rowling’s comments have made her social poison.
Conclusion
In an opinion piece for the Collegiate Times, Sally Dukes wrote, “It’s hard to return to the magical world with the same eyes once your image of its creator has tarnished.” Rowling has done a lot of wrongs, whether misleading her fans about characterization or alluding to the idea that trans women are not women. Whether you dislike her or not, Rowling still has given the gift of Harry Potter. A series and character that will live on long past her lifetime with a new narrative. A final emphasis is Rowling is not perfect. Many of her actions are unforgivable, but she is still the woman who has donated a sizeable portion of her wealth to charities for abuse and single mothers and research on multiple sclerosis (Associated Press). Much like her characters of Dumbledore and Snape, Rowling remains morally ambiguous.
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Final Draft Submitted 3 December 2020
