This interview with Paris Lees, a transgender woman, for British Vogue was released last November, which is to say “before Da Tweet,” Rowling’s solve et coagula moment of redefinition. Hat tip to the friend who suggested I watch it in light of Watson’s silence after Rowling’s tweet; it’s easy to see how conflicted she must be between her thoughts on this issue and her debts and loyalty to Rowling as mentor. (The video is cued to where the relevant conversation begins and it continues for seven minutes before they segue to movie talk.)

Only Ezra Miller and Evanna Lynch of all the Wizarding World movie stars have spoken their minds about Da Tweet and neither of them gave a decisive thumbs up or thumbs down vis a vis what Rowling said and whether they agree or disagree. More on that anon. Any thoughts about Emma Watson’s situation or what she says to Paris Lees? Her fears for a six year old transgender child in the UK?

A friend in the UK sent me fotos of this Sunday Mail article this morning: ‘Good Riddance, 2019! Year of the Politically Correct WOKE Police.’  Rowling’s December #IStandWithMaya Tweet Heard Round the World rates both a mention in Douglas Murray’s catalog of leftist excess in 2019 and a picture. If you’ve never heard of Douglas Murray, you should know that he is gay, atheist, and a social critic from the political right, which is to say, not your cartoon C. S. Lewis Tory. The article in the Mail was to promote a UK tour he is making with a comedian friend, Andrew Doyle, a tour called ‘Resisting Wokeness.’ I don’t doubt he’ll also be autographing copies of his latest book, The Madness of Crowds: On Gender, Race, and Identity.

Why should you, a Serious Reader of J. K. Rowling, care about Murray’s article, his tour, or his book? Because it represents the second and probably the more important tsunami ripple in the reactions to the Twitter rock (grenade?) Rowling threw into the global social media pond on 19 December.

The backlash was immediate from those who live to be offended (and to Thought Police everywhere). Rowling was defenestrated by the Cultural Marxist politburo members in Harry Potter fandom on the Trans Barricades. Anyone who dared to like her tweet was similarly doxxed until the offender made atonement sacrifices to Dash and repented publicly in sack-cloth and ashes. Poor Mark Hamill, finally cool again after decades, may have had his Comic Con ‘Eternally Super Special Guest’ pass revoked.

The backlash to that backlash, however, from more sober talking heads and pundits on the political left and right points to Rowling’s aim, I think, in blowing up her former diva status to Harry Potter fandom. Creating something of a public safe space by her willingness to stand up to Trans-supporters’ over-reach and government’s capitulation to same in the UK, others who already taken this position are raising their voices and some who might never have checked in with #IStandWithMaya are willing to say #IStandWithJKRowling. [Read more…]