Mick Hartley

Another man proudly displaying his caring side by trampling on JK Rowling. Screenwriter Jack Thorn, who worked on the theatre hit Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and has just received an outstanding contribution to writing award from the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, is interviewed in the Times:

“I wrote to Jo the day after it all hit,” he says. “I wrote because I have someone that’s close to me who is trans, and I worry about the kid who has loved those books and is hearing that they don’t fit. I don’t doubt it’s a really, really complicated argument, and I don’t doubt that there’s a lot of nuance to everyone’s position, but I do worry about that child.”

Writing a letter is one thing, but didn’t he feel that the Harry Potter stars who broadcast their dismay online showed a lack of respect for the woman who discovered and developed them? “No, I think that they’re in a different position to me and that they have different responsibilities. What I wrote to her in the letter was, ‘I wish there was a situation in which we could have a discussion about this.’ I didn’t make a statement on Twitter because I don’t think Twitter is a very interesting forum. I think she’s done a lot of good in the world. [For me] it’s about who her readership is, about the fact that Harry Potter does attract vulnerable readers. You know, I was one of those readers.”

What part of "trans people deserve to live their life free from discrimination and harassment" doesn't he understand? JK Rowling has never said anything that might suggest that trans people "don't fit". This is just lazy posturing by someone who hasn't bothered to understand the arguments but nevertheless can feel virtuous by joining the pile-on.