BuzzFeed is adding an editor’s note to all its Harry Potter content to clarify that it does "not support discriminatory or hateful speech in any form," The Washington Free Beacon has reported.
The move is apparently related to controversy surrounding Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling, who has been harshly criticized by activists for her alleged "transphobic" opinions.
The editor's note from BuzzFeed reads, "We stand by the LGBTQ+ community and all fans who found a home in the Harry Potter series and will work to provide a safe space for fans."
The statement also invites readers who are "impassioned about trans rights" to donate to the National Center for Transgender Equality, a nonprofit that, according to its website, "advocates to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people."
One of the original tweets from Rowling that drew criticism was from June 2020: "If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth."
More recently, there was speculation Rowling was deliberately excluded from participating in the recent "Harry Potter" 20th-anniversary reunion due to the controversy, but those rumors were later discredited by the Independent.
The paper reported that Rowling was in fact not omitted from the reunion, as earlier reports had claimed.
The Independent noted that, with the special now released in the U.K., viewers can watch members talk about how much of an impact her books have had on them personally, and before Rowling herself makes an appearance on the special.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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