Latest news with #TheWorldAccordingtoGarp
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The U.K. Supreme Court dealt a blow to trans rights — but we're here to stay
On Wednesday morning, my social feeds showed me two stark reactions to a historic rolling back of trans rights in the United Kingdom. J.K. Rowling, author of the 'Harry Potter' series and notorious anti-trans advocate, posted a photo of herself smoking a cigar and holding a glass of wine on her yacht. 'I love it when a plan comes together,' the caption reads. The photo struck a sharp contrast to what I saw from my trans friends in the U.K., many of whom posted about being terrified of their own government and wishing to flee the country. That's because the 'plan' Rowling was referencing was a U.K. Supreme Court judgment that ruled trans women should not be considered women, essentially wiping out decades of civil rights advances for British transgender people. The judges heard from representatives of numerous anti-trans special interest groups, but no trans people or trans rights groups provided testimony, in part because individuals and organizations that fund and support trans rights thought they would not be believed and feared negative repercussions. The exclusion of trans voices in the case matches what happened with the Cass Report, a document commissioned by the U.K. National Health Service purporting to investigate youth gender medicine, from last April, in which experts in trans health care were similarly disregarded. There's also a significant financial component, with Rowling reportedly donating £70,000 to For Scotland Women, the organization that brought the original suit. The ruling comes in the same week HBO announced the initial casting for its upcoming 'Harry Potter' series, featuring John Lithgow as Dumbledore. Lithgow's career got a serious boost in the early 1980s after he was nominated for the best supporting actor Oscar for playing the trans woman character Roberta Muldoon in 'The World According to Garp.' Now, he's working on a project that could indirectly financially contribute to the marginalization of trans people in the U.K., should Rowling, who is an executive producer on the project and will earn royalties from the show, choose to contribute more of her earnings to anti-trans projects. The ruling was another setback for trans rights in a year of particularly notable backtracking around the world. In the U.S., the federal government has been largely successful in purging trans people from the military, trans-related ideas and even words ascribed to trans people from government usage. Trans people in America are now unable to get accurate passports, and the Trump administration recently announced it would be cutting federal education funding from the state of Maine because the state refuses to ban two trans girls from playing girls high school sports in the state. There is thankfully still some protection for those who live in more trans-friendly blue states, so the rights you have as a trans person depend largely on where, geographically, you live within the country. For trans folks in the U.K., Wednesday's ruling will no doubt signal that the anti-trans lobby groups that currently have the ear of the Labour government in power can push even further. Though the court ruling didn't expressly extend into specific policies, we will likely see a push to formalize policies like bathroom bans. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has taken the lead on rolling back access to transition care in the National Health Service. He responded to the now widely denounced Cass Report by instituting a ban on puberty blockers for all trans youth in the country and has directed general providers to withhold transition care like hormones for adults in order to push them into the country's gender clinic system, which comes with a sometimes decadelong waiting time. Sitting here as a trans person in the U.S. and watching what's happening both here and across the pond, it's difficult for me to say which country has it worse right now. Both countries have billionaire patron saints of the anti-trans movement, with Elon Musk in the U.S. and Rowling in the U.K., with no real financial counterweight on the trans rights side. But both countries are also full of talented, funny, wonderful trans people who simply want to live their lives without the government fumbling around in our underpants all the time. Here in the U.S. we get millions of dollars in political attack ads and conservative anti-trans activist like Riley Gaines launching a lucrative activist career after finishing tied for fifth with controversial trans swimmer Lia Thomas in a collegiate swim meet. But the U.S. also has folks like Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who rather famously told Trump 'see you in court' to his face when he asked her if her state would comply with his executive order banning trans girls from girls' school sports. In the U.S., we at least have some Democratic leaders willing to stand up for us, like Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. This ruling may have been a significant setback, but there is still nothing that can stop us from simply existing as trans people. The world has always had trans people, and always will. The J.K. Rowlings of the world come and go, but trans people are eternal, and that feels like a very comforting thought here in the eye of the storm in 2025. This article was originally published on
Euronews
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
John Lithgow confirms Harry Potter casting as Dumbledore in new HBO remake
HBO's upcoming reboot of Harry Potter finally has a confirmed cast member – and it's none other than the headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Six-time Emmy-winning actor John Lithgow will take over from Richard Harris, Michael Gambon and Jude Law, who have all played Dumbledore on the big screen. Lithgow, best known for his roles in the series 3rd Rock From the Sun, The Crown and Dexter, as well as big screen turns in The World According to Garp, Terms of Endearment and the Oscar-nominated Conclave, confirmed the news during an interview with ScreenRant. He said he'll be staying at Hogwarts for a long, long time. "Well, it came as a total surprise to me,' shared Lithgow. 'I just got the phone call up at the Sundance Film Festival for yet another film, and it was not an easy decision because it's going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I'm afraid. But I'm very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter. That's why it's been such a hard decision. I'll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I've said yes." Indeed, the actor, 79, will be attached to the controversial remake for the next decade. The HBO show plans to adapt a book per season – meaning seven seasons if they don't split them up – and has described the show as 'a faithful adaptation' that 'will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters 'Harry Potter' fans have loved for over twenty-five years.' The show is reportedly eyeing a late 2026 or early 2027 premiere. After the eight Harry Potter movies cast primarily British actors, the American Lithgow being cast as Dumbledore marks a significant franchise first. Richard Harris played Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films, while the late Michael Gambon took over the role after Harris' death. Jude Law played a younger version of the character in the doomed Fantastic Beasts films. Dumbledore remains the one confirmed casting for the new series, even if Gangs of London and I May Destroy You actor Paapa Essiedu is reportedly set to play Severus Snape - first portrayed by the late Alan Rickman. When it comes to the casting of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, nothing has been revealed so far. The show reportedly put out a wide casting call for the young characters, meaning the actors will most likely be newscomers. The upcoming show is already proving controversial with fans because they're protective over the franchise but mostly due to the involvement of author J.K. Rowling as an executive producer on the series. The once-celebrated author has alienated and angered many fans through her contentious online comments regarding gender identity and trans rights - including the belief that trans women shouldn't be allowed into female-designated spaces. Last year, she was named alongside tech troll and Trump wingman Elon Musk in a criminal complaint filed by Algerian boxer Imane Khelif over alleged 'acts of aggravated cyber harassment.'
