The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling has sparked a conversation all over the world about moral panics, the toxicity surrounding the subject of sex and gender, and more. It’s a story that’s still unfolding—and it’s one that goes well beyond the confines of a single podcast.
In Chapter 7: What If You’re Wrong?, released this morning, Megan Phelps-Roper asks J.K. Rowling to respond directly to the most incisive accusations lodged by her critics. Among those criticisms: that the Harry Potter author is engaging in bigotry; that she is blind to her transphobia; and that her words are creating an environment that is dangerous to trans people.
The two also discuss the difficulty of discernment—why it can be so hard to know if you are standing up for what’s right—and the difference between what Rowling says she believes and what her critics claim she does.
No matter where you stand on this heated debate, we think you’ll find her answers well worth your time.
You can listen now on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Or press play right here:
And if you haven’t had a chance to listen to the show yet, get started now on Chapter One: Plotted in Darkness.
We’ll be back with an epilogue in just a few weeks.
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This type of reporting and dialogue is exactly what we need. I am impressed with how Megan Phelps-Roper handled the discussion and her continuous striving to not tip the scales in any direction but rather to dig into the deeper question at hand, "what is preventing us from having a civil discussion around these topics?" We all know that the answer is too complex to address fully in one podcast. But we need more of these thought-provoking pieces of content to be consumed by the public. It has me asking some very foundational questions of myself - taking me inward to explore where I might be wrong, might be shutting people down, might be taking a stand rather than asking questions to go deeper.
It’s so hard to take trans’ concerns seriously or with an open mind when they say things as Natalie did suggesting that the supposed bigots “are afraid to allow trans people to participate in society.”
This is such a straw man and is so obviously disingenuous.
If we’re going to have open dialogue to understand one another’s perspective, we need to remove these bad faith characterizations.