Actor Brian Cox defended Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling amidst criticisms from fans due to her comments on the transgender community. The controversy started after Rowling posted insensitive tweets and mocked an article that used the phrase “people who menstruate.” She also published a 3,000-word essay stating her opinions about gender issues which received extreme backlash from the public.
Many fans were disappointed with the author’s statements and opinions directed toward the trans community. Last year, Rowling also protested against the Gender Recognition Reform bill, and said that it is “the biggest assault on the rights of Scottish women and girls.” Scottish actor and X-Men star Brian Cox defends the author and says she is entitled to express her mind.
Brian Cox Says J.K. Rowling Is Entitled To Her Opinions
In an interview with BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg via Metro, Brian Cox commented on the way fans are treating Rowling:
“I don’t like the way she has been treated, actually. I think she’s entitled to her opinion, she’s entitled to say what she feels, as a woman, she’s very much entitled to say what she feels about her own body.”
Brian Cox criticized fans for the way they responded to the controversy and their approach toward the author:
“There’s nobody better to say as a woman. So I do feel that people have been a bit high and mighty about their attitude towards J.K. Rowling, quite frankly.”
In a May 2022 interview, Cox also defended Rowling and said:
“I thought there was something deeply unjust about it. And I just felt that. It is happening time and time again. It is not only the people who are canceled. It is also people like their families, like their children, like their parents. It has such ramifications.”
The actor claimed that this is “total fascism” and that people should “behave” themselves.
J.K. Rowling Wrote A Book Based On The Hate She Receives From Fans
Rowling announced last year that she would release a new book about a character being criticized for her opinions about the transgender community. Entitled The Ink Black Heart under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, the book will be part of the crime thriller series Cormoran Strike.
The story follows YouTube cartoon creator Edie Ledwell as she deals with trolls, and her own fandom turns against her, criticizing her works as racist and transphobic. She receives death and rape threats and is ultimately found dead in a cemetery. The book suggests that the main character is a victim of a hate campaign.
Source: Metro
