Warner Brothers Defends Relationship with J.K. Rowling

metroweekly.com:

Film production company Warner Brothers has doubled down in support of author J.K. Rowling after Harry Potter actor Tom Felton was told not to discuss her past transphobic remarks.Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the eight-part Harry Potter movie series, was on hand to promote the opening of Professor Sprout’s greenhouse at Warner Bros.

Studio Tour London, a walkthrough exhibition that simulates the environment of the Harry Potter books and films. The year of the greenhouse’s debut coincides with the 25th anniversary of when Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone — the first novel in J.K.

Rowling’s seven-part literary series — was first published in 1997.During a press junket, Sky News entertainment reporter Claire Gregory asked Felton how he felt about Rowling taking a “backseat” when it comes to various promotional events related to the Harry Potter universe, but the actor remained silent.

A third-party member of the crew off-camera cut in, saying: “Next question, please.”According to Sky News, Felton has reportedly been told by a third-party PR firm not to discuss Rowling’s absence, due in part to comments the author has made in recent years opposing transgender rights — specifically the right of trans women to access public accommodations — and casting doubt on the availability of transition-related treatments for gender dysphoria, especially for young people assigned female at birth.In 2019, Rowling publicly tweeted support of Maya Forstater, a former researcher and consultant for the Center for Global Development, who was reportedly fired for espousing so-called “gender-critical” views on social media, including referring to transgender women as men.