JK Rowling: Harry Potter fan sites reject author's trans comments

Rowling's works include the seven Harry Potter novels and the Fantastic Beasts screenplays

Two leading Harry Potter fan sites have publicly distanced themselves from author JK Rowling over her recent comments about transgender people.

The Leaky Cauldron and Mugglenet sites said they would no longer use photos of Rowling or link to her own website.

Speaking jointly, they said her views on "marginalised people [were] out of step with the message of acceptance and empowerment we find in her books".

The stars of the Potter films have also spoken out against Rowling's remarks.

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• Eddie Redmayne criticises JK Rowling trans tweets

Rowling posted a lengthy blog last month in which she detailed her research and beliefs on transgender issues.

She had faced criticism for posting tweets in which she took issue with the phrase "people who menstruate".

In the blog, she said her interest in trans issues stemmed from being a survivor of abuse and having concerns around single-sex spaces.

In their statement, the Leaky Cauldron and Mugglenet sites said it was "difficult to speak out against someone whose work we have so long admired".

Yet they said it be "wrong" not to distance themselves from Rowling's "harmful and disproven beliefs about what it means to be a transgender person".

Actor Eddie Redmayne (right) has also distanced himself from the author's comments

"Our stance is firm," they wrote. "Transgender women are women. Transgender men are men. Non-binary people are non-binary.

"We stand with Harry Potter fans in these communities, and while we don't condone the mistreatment JKR has received we must reject her beliefs."

The two sites have been personally recognised by the author, who has presented them both with a fan site award she bestows through her official website.

Rowling, who has received both censure and messages of support for her remarks, has yet to comment on the fan sites' statement.

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