JK Rowling – latest: Harry Potter author to speak out on trans stance in new podcast
JK Rowling in a lengthy statement on transgender comments
JK Rowling is set to give a rare interview addressing her controversial remarks on transgender rights.
In an upcoming seven episode podcast entitled The Witch Trials by JK Rowling, the Harry Potter author sits down with US author Megan Phelps-Roper at her home in Edinburgh.
Phelps-Roper is the granddaughter of Fred Phelps – pastor of the notorious Westboro Baptist Church. After leaving the church in 2012, Phelps-Roper became a prominent critic of its philosophy and practices.
Podcast host Free Press describes The Witch Trials by JK Rowlingwill be released on February 21 as an “audio documentary exploring some of the most contentious conflicts of our time through the life and career of the world’s most accomplished author”.
“I never wanted to upset anyone. I didn’t feel uncomfortable getting off my pedestal, though,” Rowling says in the trailer.
“What has particularly interested me on social media in recent years [is when fans say], “You ruined your legacy. Oh you could have been loved forever but you chose to say this.’ And I’m like, ‘You couldn’t have misunderstood me any deeper.'”
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What we know about host Megan Phelps-Roper
Megan Phelps-Roper is 37 and lives in rural South Dakota. She is best known for escaping what Louis Theroux described as “the most hated family in America” in his 2007 documentary about the extremist Westboro Baptist Church, run by Phelps-Roper’s grandfather Fred Phelps.
The hate group, founded in Topeka, Kansas, demonstrated the funerals of soldiers and AIDS victims. It is known for its hate speech against atheists, Jews, Muslims, transgender people and numerous Christian denominations. Their theology and practices were almost universally rejected by the Christian churches.
Phelps-Roper distanced herself from the group in 2012, largely thanks to discovering Other Viewpoints on Twitter, which she joined three years earlier to spread the church’s message.
She wrote a book about her experiences, unfollowand she is now a speaker and activist.
For the podcast, Phelps-Roper traveled to Rowling’s Edinburgh Castle and conducted intimate interviews with the author for six days in May and August.
The podcast will be released on February 21st.
Ellie HarrisonFebruary 20, 2023 8:45 am
Listen to the podcast trailer here
The Witch Trials by JK Rowling Premieres Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
Hear the Harry Potter author speak below in a trailer for the podcast…
Ellie HarrisonFebruary 20, 2023 08:11
JK Rowling opens up about trans views in new podcast
JK Rowling addresses the controversy surrounding her stance on transgender rights head on in an upcoming podcast titled The Witch Trials by JK Rowling.
The Harry Potter author has faced sustained backlash in recent years for making statements about gender ideology that critics and prominent voices in the LGBT+ community have labeled “transphobic”.
“I never wanted to upset anyone. I didn’t feel uncomfortable stepping off my pedestal, though,” Rowling says in the podcast’s trailer, hosted by Free Press.
Free Press is the independent media company founded by former New York Times Opinion editor Bari Weiss, known for writing provocative columns on “wake-up culture” and gender issues.
Ellie HarrisonFebruary 20, 2023 7:49 am