Harry Potter author JK Rowling has said she is not concerned about how the backlash to her position on transgender issues will affect her legacy.
She said anyone who thinks she is has “profoundly” misunderstood her.
She has been called transphobic for her views on gender identity and allowing trans women into women-only spaces.
Rowling told a new podcast she “never meant to upset anyone”, but added: “However, I was not uncomfortable with getting off my pedestal.”
Referring to fans who claim she has “ruined” her legacy, the writer said they “could not have misunderstood me more profoundly”.
“I do not walk around my house thinking about my legacy,” she continued.
“What a pompous way to live your life, walking around thinking, what will my legacy be? Whatever, I’ll be dead. I care about now. I care about the living.”
Rowling has attracted extensive criticism for a series of comments voicing concerns about how trans issues affect women’s rights, and her opposition to Scotland’s gender recognition bill.
In an essay on her website in 2020, she wrote: “When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman… you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside.”
Her position has been interpreted by some as transphobic, leading to calls for a boycott of the Harry Potter franchise, ranging from its books and movies to the blockbuster video game Hogwarts Legacy. (BBC)