So there was this interesting podcast recently called The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling that interviewed Rowling and explored all the controversies around her — mainly some people condemning her for asserting biological sex is meaningful.
Now, a big theme of it was “What if you’re wrong?” seemingly aimed at Rowling but also at her often hateful critics. The podcast host was Megan Phelps-Roper, who grew up in the infamous Westboro Baptist Church, intensely believed in its doctrine, but later left that church. And it is quite a question of what it would take to convince you away from something you intensely believe.
Anyway, if I were to characterize a bias in the podcast, I do think it leaned more to Rowling’s side as most of her critics came off as angry and irrational. It did, though, spend one whole episode — episode 6 — interviewing two trans people critical of Rowling. Neither came off as hateful but instead as two individuals a bit hurt by Rowling’s stance but trying earnestly to understand.
The first one, Natalie, a transwoman, didn’t say anything I hadn’t heard before, but the second, Noah, a transman, actually brought me to a moment where I was like, “I might have to rethink my stance.”
