A New Trio, and That Same Author

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On this week's episode, we’re starting Pride Month 2025 off by revisiting the topic of Potter series author J.K. Rowling, whose recent actions along with the continued assault on the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals worldwide, warrant further discussion. We are joined by a guest who is an ethicist, philosopher and college instructor, and all of our hosts dive head-first into sharing their feelings on what is happening. And to lead off our discussion, we cover the topic of the casting of the new trio for HBO’s upcoming TV series.

• This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Receive 10% off your first month of therapy at BetterHelp.com/mugglecast
• News: Harry, Ron and Hermione have now been cast in HBO’s Harry Potter TV series! The hosts react.
• Welcome to the podcast, Sunny Williams! Sunny’s roots in fandom and wizard rock, and her impressive academic career, make her a perfect fit for our episode today.
• We revisit the topic of J.K. Rowling, whose new ’Women’s Fund’ will help advance anti-trans legal cases.
• Our previous episodes that addressed the author were Episode 447b and Episode 469, both worth a re-listen.
• The hosts share their thoughts on the last 5 years of disappointment, from infinite double-downs to behavior that is antithetical to the works which we celebrate.
• Eric takes us through the most recent year in anti-trans legislation, featuring two huge pseudoscientific reports, not peer reviewed and forcefully discredited by major medical organizations, which are nevertheless being used to strip transgender people from accessing healthcare through legislation.
• The actual science is so in-favor of trans people receiving healthcare, that its opponents have suggested other ways of measuring its efficiency, like whether receivers currently have a job.
• Rowling’s astonishing cruelty is on display daily on X, and her initiatives and gender-policing have been shown to affect ALL women, as the rise on assaults of women in rest areas has grown around hostility towards anyone seen as gender non-conforming by strangers empowered to act.
• The hosts use scenarios from the Potter books to illustrate what’s presently happening.
• Sunny guides us through the ethics of financially supporting problematic creators, with thoughts from Socrates, Hannah Arendt, Henry David Thoreau, and others!
• To wrap, we discuss our continued strategy for keeping the fandom progressive and inclusive.
• Next week, a return to Chapter-by-Chapter will see us introduced to another bully, as it’s time to experience Chapter 28, “Snape’s Worst Memory.”

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