Thoughts
First of all, I can’t find a source for this supposed “press release.”
Second of all, even if Rowling says “all HP fans agree with me automatically” doesn’t make it true. (What else do you expect her to say?)
Third of all, if Rowling is trying to create a false-dichotomy between Harry Potter fans and people who support trans rights, it’s because she knows that Harry Potter is a *huge* franchise and she wants people to have to choose between supporting Harry Potter and supporting trans rights. She knows that there are a fraction of Harry Potter fans who love Harry Potter but are on the fence about supporting trans rights. Rowling wants those people to choose HP. But those people don’t have to choose one or the other. You can like a 16-year old book series without your present-day beliefs aligning with the author.
Fourth, this post, and posts like it on Tumblr, are going to reach a fraction of the people that the Harry Potter franchise reached. And those people are going to be disproportionately trans people. So you’re going to end up with a bunch of trans people who are chronically online who think that one of the most popular media franchises is a hate-symbol, and millions of Harry Potter fans who have no idea that they’re being offensive.
I guess I’m saying “pick your battles” and I’m not sure reclassifying all of Harry Potter as evil is the battle that trans activists actually want to be fighting. Attack Rowling all you want. Rowling is transphobic. But it seems easier to separate Rowling from Potter than it is to attack Potter and hope it hurts Rowling.