We’re proud to be associated with Rowling, says Warner Bros amid trans rights row

WARNER BROS is “proud” to be associated with JK Rowling, the film studio said, after questions about the author were banned at a Harry Potter event.

When actor Tom Felton appeared at the Warner Bros Studio Tour to promote a new Harry Potter attraction this week, a Sky News reporter mentioned

Rowling’s name. A publicist immediately stepped in and said: “Next question please.”

When Sky asked why the question had been blocked, the broadcaster was told: “JK Rowling is not connected to Warner or Tom Felton. The team felt it was not relevant to the piece.”

Rowling has become a controversial figure after expressing her opinions on trans rights.

The author has been accused of transphobia since stating her belief that biological sex is real, and mocking an article that referred to “people who menstruate” rather than “women”.

The backlash to her comments, made in 2020, was so vitriolic that she said last year: “I’ve now received so many death threats I could paper the house with them.”

Warner Bros has since reacted to the interview. In a statement, a spokesman for the Warner Bros Studio Tour, said: “Warner Bros has enjoyed a creative, productive and fulfilling partnership with JK Rowling for the past 20 years.

“She is one of the world’s most accomplished storytellers, and we are proud to be the studio to bring her vision, characters and stories to life now – and for decades to come.

“On Monday, a statement was issued by a third party media agency that appeared contrary to this view. The statement was wholly wrong, and Warner Bros Studio Tour London regrets it happened as part of a media event that day.”

Felton, who played Draco Malfoy, previously attracted criticism for liking one of the author’s tweets and has been careful not to offer an opinion on her views. The stars of the Harry Potter films came out in support of trans rights, while many fans said they would no longer read Rowling’s books.

Rowling published an essay explaining that she felt strongly about protecting women’s rights because she was a survivor of domestic violence.

“The scars left don’t disappear, no matter how loved you are, and no matter how much money you’ve made,” she wrote.