JK Rowling Returns Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Award After Criticism From Kerry Kennedy

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J.K. Rowling has returned the Ripple of Hope Award given to her by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Organization after the president of the organization Kerry Kennedy criticized the “Harry Potter” author for recent comments she’s made that were deemed transphobic.

Rowling in a statement to her website Friday pushed back on the criticism and asserts that she does not have hatred for transgender individuals but felt she had no choice but to return the award. Rowling received the Ripple of Hope Award in December 2019.

“The statement incorrectly implied that I was transphobic, and that I am responsible for harm to trans people,” Rowling said. “As a longstanding donor to LGBT charities and a supporter of trans people’s right to live free of persecution, I absolutely refute the accusation that I hate trans people or wish them ill, or that standing up for the rights of women is wrong, discriminatory, or incites harm or violence to the trans community.”

Also Read: JK Rowling, Fareed Zakaria, Wynton Marsalis Decry Rising 'Intolerance of Opposing Views' In Public Letter

Kerry Kennedy, Robert Kennedy’s daughter, criticized Rowling back on August 3 for several instances in which Rowling was criticized for transphobic remarks. Rowling first wrote comments on Twitter in response to an article titled “Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate.” After increased backlash to those statements, including from not just fans of her work but also from “Harry Potter” stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, Rowling posted a nearly 4,000 word blog post attempting to “explain” herself, leading to Kennedy’s criticism.

“She wrote glibly and dismissively about transgender identity: ‘People who menstruate. I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud,'” Kennedy wrote, quoting Rowling’s words. “Almost a week later, she wrote a series of tweets that had the effect of degrading trans people’s lived experiences: ‘If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.'”

Kennedy says she’s spoken with Rowling to express her “profound disappointment” and to explain that trans people, especially Black trans women and youth trans individuals, are often targeted with disproportionate amounts of violence.

Also Read: The Sun's Front-Page Interview With JK Rowling's Abusive First Husband Draws Outrage

“From her own words, I take Rowling’s position to be that the sex one is assigned at birth is the primary and determinative factor of one’s gender, regardless of one’s gender identity–a position that I categorically reject. The science is clear and conclusive: Sex is not binary,” Kennedy wrote. “Trans rights are human rights. J.K. Rowling’s attacks upon the transgender community are inconsistent with the fundamental beliefs and values of RFK Human Rights and represent a repudiation of my father’s vision.”

Rowling in her response to Kennedy on Friday says more “nuance” needs to be permitted in the “debate” about trans rights and the rights of women and cited a statement from an organization touting a “gender affirmative” model.

“In solidarity with those who have contacted me but who are struggling to make their voices heard, and because of the very serious conflict of views between myself and RFKHR, I feel I have no option but to return the Ripple of Hope Award bestowed upon me last year,” Rowling concluded. “I am deeply saddened that RFKHR has felt compelled to adopt this stance, but no award or honour, no matter my admiration for the person for whom it was named, means so much to me that I would forfeit the right to follow the dictates of my own conscience.”

All 9 JK Rowling Movie Adaptations Ranked From Worst to Best (Photos)

With the new Harry Potter prequel "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" set to expand the wizarding world's mythos, take a moment to gaze into the Pensieve and remind yourself of the series so far.
9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

The franchise didn't put its best foot forward, but Chris Columbus' "Sorcerer's Stone" -- which both detractors and admirers point to as being more faithful to its source material than any other Harry Potter movie, hence the protracted running time -- was only a momentary stumble. In hindsight, it's also something of a relief: The series gets so dark that starting off on a syrupy-sweet note feels like a small gift.
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8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 (2010)

Almost every Harry Potter film works better as part of a series than it does on its own, "Deathly Hallows — Part 1" especially. The first half of the finale has some of the franchise's most moving moments -- Hedwig, he hardly knew ye; you were a good elf, Dobby — but it simply doesn't function as a standalone film. It's also responsible for the unfortunate trend of splitting books into two or more movies, which has since been mimicked by "Twilight," "The Hunger Games" and "The Hobbit."
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7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

In some senses, "Order of the Phoenix" is a victim of its own success: Much of it revolves around Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), who's far and away the most hateable character in the franchise. David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter movies, occasionally lags on his way to the third act of his first outing. But that finale gives perhaps the most moving, complete sense of the life-and-death stakes of Harry and Voldemort's conflict.
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6. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

The spinoff remains true to the spirit of its source material while also differentiating itself. Though we still don't know much about either our new hero, Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander, the film itself marks a welcome return to an immersive fictional world. Set in a time (the 1920s) and place (America) that Harry Potter never explored, "Fantastic Beasts" is worth seeking out.
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5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

What's sometimes forgotten about the sentimental first two films is that, unlike later entries, they feel like complete stories. "Chamber of Secrets" suffers from some of the same problems as its predecessor, but it also has the advantage of a more compelling, puzzle-like story. Voldemort takes on many forms throughout the series, and here, as a 16-year-old preserved in memory, he shows his most human face.
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4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

The true turning point in the series, "Goblet of Fire" makes good on the promise of "Sorcerer's Stone" that the innocent are the first victims. There were always signs that this is a darker world than it initially appears to be, but until the fourth book (and Mike Newell's film) the forces of evil are held at bay. Once loosed, things change forever.
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3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 (2011)

That coda (which, to be fair, is lifted directly from the book) needs to go, and it makes little sense that a two-part film based on one book can't find the time to give three significant characters onscreen deaths. Even so, the final film expands the series' narrative frame and ties its threads together with true elegance — especially regarding Alan Rickman's Snape, who emerges here as Rowling's best, most tragic character.
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2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

The dynamic between Harry and Dumbledore finally moves to the fore in "Half-Blood Prince," a movie that enriches its own present-tense narrative by looking into the past and showing how it came to be. Tonally similar to the other late entries but narratively superior, it manages to come across as a self-contained work.
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1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Positioned between the sentimental entries directed by Chris Columbus and the bleaker chapters that followed, "Prisoner of Azkaban" achieves a near-perfect balance between light and dark, good and evil. It helps that the source material is so strong -- the arrival of Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and the Patronus charm are all highlights -- as does the fact that Alfonso Cuarón graced the series with his singular vision before directing "Children of Men" and "Gravity." It's the entire Harry Potter phenomenon in microcosm: coming of age but not yet fully grown, dark but not despairing, and a needed reminder that, even in trying times, a sense of wonderment is as powerful as any spell.
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How does “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” stack up to the rest of the Harry Potter onscreen saga?

With the new Harry Potter prequel "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" set to expand the wizarding world's mythos, take a moment to gaze into the Pensieve and remind yourself of the series so far.

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All 9 JK Rowling Movie Adaptations Ranked From Worst to Best (Photos)

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