Activists campaigning for transgender rights recently drew attention on the red carpet outside a London performance of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” Neil Blair, J.K. Rowling’s longtime agent (61), has now spoken to Variety, offering criticism of the scene.
The protest action came amid years of controversial, arguably trans-exclusionary, remarks from the “Harry Potter” author. The London Standard published a video in which several people resist being escorted off the red carpet by security personnel.
Whether anyone was injured during the protest remains unclear. The clip gives the impression that the demonstrators did not become overbearing, and that security spoke to them in a heavy-handed manner.
Blair calls for “an atmosphere of respect and safety”
Blair views such demonstrations as dangerous. “We respect peaceful activism and the right to express differing opinions,” the statement reads. “These rights must be exercised in a way that does not endanger others — including audience members, performers, and theatre staff — as we saw on the night outside the Palace Theatre in London prior to the gala performance of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’.”
“Above all, we want to bring the magic of ‘Harry Potter’ closer to fans. Each fan deserves to enjoy that magic in an atmosphere of respect and safety.”
For Rowling, trans women are not women
The author herself has long spoken in ways that many find disrespectful toward transgender people and has faced sharp criticism for it. Last year she even urged a boycott of a major department store simply because it employed transgender staff. Rowling maintains that trans women are not women and represent a broad threat to cisgender women.
Stars from the Harry Potter film franchise, such as Daniel Radcliffe, distanced themselves from Rowling years ago. Rowling has been at odds with her former child stars for years: last year she claimed Emma Watson is ignorant and intends to undermine women’s rights.
