Wednesday, January 05, 2022
due to controversial statements
School renamed Rowling Building
Harry Potter creator JK Rowling has received heavy criticism for her remarks about trans people. A school in England is also changing the name of a building after the writer. One part of the sporting world also wants to distance itself – and the sport is looking for a new name for Quidditch.
Following J.K. Rowling’s controversial statements about transsexuality, an English school renamed a building that previously bore the name of the “Harry Potter” author. This has been reported by several British media outlets, including the “BBC”. Stephen Mansell, the headmaster of the Education Facility in Chelmsford, Essex, confirmed that the building was renamed in autumn 2021 following a vote. The building is now named after British athlete Dame Kelly Holmes.
According to Mansell, students and staff had previously made several inquiries. The purpose of the name change is to promote a “vibrant, inclusive and democratic school community”. School children should be encouraged to develop into “independent and self-confident citizens”.
According to The Times, Quidditch organizations in Great Britain and the United States also recently announced that they would be changing the name of the game to distance itself from its creator, Rowling. As the “Times” reported, “quickball”, “quicker”, “quidstrike” and “quadraball” are possible choices. The game is a real-life version of the magic game played on a flying broomstick in the “Harry Potter” books and is practiced all over the world.
Rowling has sparked outrage on social media in recent months with statements about trans people. Around the summer of 2020, she spoke out against the phrase “menstruating people”. Many users saw it as clever and accused the 56-year-old of being transphobic.
The author also received criticism from the ranks of the stars of the “Harry Potter” films for his attitude. Emma Watson, who plays Hermione, tweeted a few days later: “I want my transsexual followers to know that I and many others around the world recognize, respect and love who you are. “
