BBC apologizes for not responding to JK Rowling’s insults during radio chat about Hogwarts game

The BBC has apologized for letting a trans guest JK Rowling be accused of transphobia without being challenged.

Evan Davis was hosting Radio 4’s PM show as Stacey Henley made the claims while discussing a new Harry Potter video game, Hogwarts Legacy.

Ms Henley, a trans woman and editor-in-chief of The Gamer – a website for video game fans – accused Ms Rowling of promoting “transphobia” and a “campaign against trans people”.

Davis replied, “Obviously, JK Rowling … wouldn’t say she’s transphobic.”

But a women’s group criticized the “crooked bit” and said Davis made only “superficial efforts” to intervene.

Trans woman and editor-in-chief of The Gamer Stacey Henley accused Ms Rowling of pushing “transphobia” and a “campaign against trans people”.

After Thursday’s show, Davis said the program “didn’t intend it that way.”

A BBC spokesman later said: “This is a difficult and contentious area which we are trying very hard to cover fairly.

However, we should have challenged the allegations more directly and we apologize for not having done so.’

It’s not the first time Radio 4 has been criticized for its treatment of the Harry Potter author.

Last year, a presenter was accused of “bracketing” Ms Rowling along with the sex offenders, US singer R Kelly and sculptor Eric Gill.

PM decided to use the fact that the new Hogwarts Legacy game is releasing this Friday to have a discussion on people’s attitudes towards the game in light of JK Rowling’s views on gender.

Ms Rowling has often been criticized by trans activists for her stance on women’s rights, including her views on women-only spaces.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk