JK Rowling attack on BBC hit by over 100 complaints as broadcaster faces outrage for lack of balance

The BBC has received more than 100 complaints after the broadcaster failed to challenge accusations made against JK Rowling.

Stacey Henley, a trans woman and editor-in-chief of video game website The Gamer, accused the Harry Potter author of pushing “transphobia”, as well as having “a campaign against trans people.”

On Radio 4’s PM show, hosted by Evan Davis, Henley was booked to discuss the new Harry Potter game, Hogwarts Legacy, and she explained why her website will not review the new game.

JK Rowling arrives for the World Premiere of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Picture date: Tuesday March 29, 2022.
Ian West

She said: “The reason we’re not is really the fact that Harry Potter and the world that Harry Potter exhibits is just entirely connected to JK Rowling, but she has a platform that she uses to push transphobia, that she uses to build up this campaign against trans people, especially in Britain.

“Supporting this game continues to give JK Rowling a platform in which she can use to hurt people.”

Henley added: “Harry Potter is such a crucial part of people’s lives… I understand how important the books and the movies and all the other things are to literally millions of people.

“If something that was really special to my childhood was taken away from me because the creator suddenly outed themselves as having these quite nasty views it would be heart breaking.

“I don’t want people to burn their books… You’re not being asked to give up all those childhood memories. What you’re being asked to do is think of the impact of continuing to support future endeavours.”

Henley continued: “I do think we have to be selective with the kind of art that we support, and if it’s created by somebody who continues to use their platform and their relevance to push forward transphobia and we continue to support them that’s where the line in the sand has to be drawn.”

Davis replied: “Obviously, JK Rowling wouldn’t say she’s transphobic.”

Henley said she supported the notion of people boycotting the game because of the transgender row.

JK Rowling arriving for the opening gala performance of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, at the Palace Theatre in London.
Yui Mok

“This comes back to this idea that if you don’t want to feel bad about buying the game or you can’t judge people. You can judge people. The information out there is for everyone. JK Rowling’s views are not secret, they’re public knowledge.”

Women’s rights group For Women Scotland were unhappy with how Davis responded, saying: “The damage will have been done by broadcasting this interview.”

Following the programme, a BBC spokesman said: “This is a difficult and contentious area which we do try very hard to cover fairly.

“However, we should have challenged the claims more directly and we apologise that we did not.”

Rowling has attracted criticism from some groups for her views on gender identity, previously tweeting she has received “so many death threats I could paper the house with them”.

She has said she was partly motivated to speak out about transgender issues because of her experience of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

She has strongly denied accusations of transphobia.