J.K. Rowling says she cares “about now” and isn’t concerned about the impact her comments on transgenderism may have on her legacy.
During an appearance on the podcast “The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling,” the bestselling “Harry Potter” author said that she “never meant to upset anyone” with her controversial comments on transgender women and addressed claims that she has “ruined” her legacy, saying that people who believe that “could not have misunderstood me more profoundly.”
“I do not walk around my house, thinking about my legacy,” Rowling said in the first episode. “You know, what a pompous way to live your life walking around thinking, ‘What will my legacy be?’ Whatever, I’ll be dead. I care about now. I care about the living.”
The dust-up over Rowling’s comments continues to follow her, despite her best efforts to move on.
On Tuesday, the BBC apologized to Rowling after she was accused of being transphobic during a live show.
Deadline reports that the accusation was made when BBC Radio Scotland’s “Good Morning Scotland” interviewed a transgender woman who boycotted the new Harry Potter video game “Hogwarts Legacy” because the game allegedly was being used to “fund the anti-trans movement.”
“The debate got into the issue of gender identity and claims were made about J.K. Rowling’s views,” the BBC said. “We accept that the programme failed to challenge these claims and acknowledge that our contributors gave their opinion as fact.”
Rowling has been threatened and vilified for her positions on transgenderism. The author has said that she believes transgender women are different from biological women and that trans women should not be permitted in women’s restrooms and changing areas.
The New York Times reportedly launched an ad campaign earlier this month celebrating the transgender community’s continuing attacks on the author and the effort to erase her from the “Harry Potter” book series.
“Lianna is imagining Harry Potter without its creator,” read electronic billboards in a Washington D.C. metro station, according to the Daily Mail.
Rowling has faced backlash for her trans comments from actors who appeared in movies based on her books, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Eddie Redmayne, while Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter are among those who have defended her, according to Variety.
“The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling” is scheduled for seven episodes and is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other platforms.