HBO's Petunia Dursley denounces J.K. Rowling's views on trans people

“I strongly disagree with JK Rowling’s views on gender. I think that the trans community deserve safety and dignity and respect and total acceptance,” says Powley in a new interview with The Telegraph. However, there’s a “but,” which The Telegraph writes comes as “she throws up her palms.” “But I love Harry Potter. I grew up with the books. I am from that first generation of readers and, again, I love magic and spookiness.” The profile then moves right along to discuss whether Powley believes in ghosts. 

Though some in the Harry Potter world may want to separate the art from the artist, the artist herself doesn’t make it easy. Over the last decade, Rowling has become as notable for her so-called “gender critical” views as for her wildly successful franchise about wizard school. More recently, she’s started the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund which seeks to keep trans women from “single sex” spaces in the U.K.—an endeavor that will almost certainly be helped by the riches Rowling earns from the HBO series. Still, other cast members have spoken out against her politics, including new Snape Paapa Essiedu, who added his name to an open letter in support of trans people last year.