JK Rowling's online comments have sparked enormous controversy. Photo / Getty Images
JK Rowling's online comments have sparked enormous controversy. Photo / Getty Images
A new addition to the Harry Potter universe has hit local cinemas, but the movie isn't the only thing attracting public scrutiny.
The film Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has drawn renewed attention to the long history of insensitive comments that Harry Potter creator JK Rowling has made about the trans community online.
It's the latest example of the culture war that raises tough questions about the relationship between art and artist, entertainment and politics and whether movie studios should do more to pick a side when it comes to major issues.
New Zealand Herald culture editor Karl Puschmann tells the Front Page podcast that this issue is "very complex" and extends well beyond Rowling and the Harry Potter universe.
"Since 2020, Rowling has been conjuring up controversy with her constant tweeting about the trans community, which has seen her labelled at best problematic and at worst transphobic," says Puschmann.
"It started when she took offence to an opinion column that used the phrase 'people who menstruate'. She then tweeted: 'People who menstruate. I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?'
"That sparked an immediate backlash from her fans, from people involved in trans rights and those in the LGBTQ community."
Alongside this, she also got a groundswell of people who defended her tweets.
Over time, she has not let up on the issue, continuing to express her views in spite of the criticism.
"She's really dug into her position on the culture war, even tweeting about the issue earlier this week instead of promoting the new film - which the movie studio would no doubt prefer her to be talking about."
Rowling has, of course, not been cancelled and she is still involved in the Harry Potter world, but there is growing pressure on Hollywood studios to take a stronger stance on significant social issues.
This is also apparent in the recent uproar over Disney not taking a strong enough stance against the so-called 'Don't say gay' bill, which has passed in Florida.
"That basically banned discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten all the way up to third grade classes," says Puschmann.
"It allows private citizens to sue and seek unspecified damages if they believe a school has violated the law."
As the biggest employer in Florida and an organisation that has long benefited from the creative talents of the gay community, there was an expectation that Disney would come out with a strong statement against the law.
"Their initial response was just incredibly weak and they said they would oppose it through their art and movies. And then almost simultaneously as that limp response came out, it was revealed that they had been donating to Republican politicians in favour of the bill. So they were caught trying to play both sides."
Disney has since come out saying they strongly oppose the law, but this has provoked the fury of politicians who have now threatened to take action against the company.
While some have questioned whether we should be keeping politics out of entertainment, Pushmann disagrees.
"Art is always going to be coloured by politics: movies, music, books, this is the way it's always been. What I'd be more concerned about is that hateful stances under the guise of conservatism will become more profitable than the art that has higher ambitions and [a] more hopeful idea of what the future might hold."
Puschmann notes that there's always been a steady progression in art and culture, and he doesn't see that changing anytime soon.
"If you go back to the 90s or the 2000s, there were films or jokes that would today be considered problematic and couldn't be made. But they were stepping stones towards where we are now.
"The important thing is that it keeps moving to the light instead of taking a darker turn."
• The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am.
