Judy Blume voices support for trans community despite Times interview

Judy Blume is the author of Sunday. What’s up, God? It’s Me, Margaret, Blume took to Twitter on Sunday to voice her support of trans people. The article was published by The Sunday Times of London and described Blume as a friend of J.K. Rowling. The Harry Potter author has been under fire over her opinions about transgender individuals.

“I wholly support the trans community,” Blume said. “My point, which was taken out of context, is that I can empathize with a writer — or person — who has been harassed online. I am with the LGBTQIA+ community. Anyone who is not in full support of equality and acceptance will be vehemently opposed by me. Anything to the contrary is total bullshit.”

In The Sunday Times interview, written by Hadley Freeman, Blume said, “I am behind her 100 percent as I watch from afar.” Freeman wrote that this quote was “referring to the abuse Rowling has received for speaking up in defense of women’s sex-based rights.”

On Sunday, Blume’s remarks circulated widely via social media, causing some Twitter users to question their support of the beloved author. In the statement posted to Twitter, Blume said her quote had been “taken out of context,” and then shared a screenshot from her interview with Variety in which she pushed back against book bans, and cites Maia Kobabe’s memoir Gender Queer as “wonderfully enlightening.”

This all happened just a few days after Max (née HBO Max) announced a new Harry Potter TV series, with Rowling as executive producer, that will re-adapt the original seven books. In a news release, Rowling said “Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me.”

This news also spurred internet pushback, as fans questioned the need for another series based on the franchise, in light of Rowling’s numerous statements against trans people going back three years.