‘We went from attending a play to being transphobic’: KIRO host’s Harry Potter post sparks cancel culture debate

KIRO fill-in host Jim Dever posted on his Upper Lefters social media account that he attended “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” at the Paramount Theater, but comments on the post included accusations that he was a bigot and a transphobe for supporting anything tied to J.K. Rowling.

“Among those comments were some ugly accusations that because I went to the show, and especially because I posted about it, it made me a bigot and a transphobe,” Dever said on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

Dever said he considers himself part of the majority of Americans who want to approach the issue reasonably.

“I’m not here to defend J.K. Rowling, because I know very little about her,” Dever said. “I just thought, I love Harry Potter. My wife and I’ve read all the books. We’ve seen all the movies. I think the message within those stories is incredibly positive. The God’s honest truth in this case is I didn’t even think about it.”

KIRO fill-in host Angela Poe Russell said the jump to accusations was too fast.

“It wasn’t like you posted something that said, ‘I am this, and I hate this,'” Angela said. “This was, ‘I attended a play.’ And we went from attending a play to being transphobic. That’s a big leap.”

Dever played devil’s advocate against himself.

“Our actions do speak. They do communicate quite loudly about what we support, what we don’t support,” Dever said. “I can see their point of view. However, I’m not so sure I share it.”

Dever, Angela said the trans debate has been hijacked by both sides

“We have the two extremes, and they’re both working on this issue, and who’s caught in the middle? It’s really the trans community,” Dever said.

Russell raised the broader question of where consumers draw the line, pointing to Bill Cosby, Michael Jackson and Woody Allen.

“I could go on and on,” Russell said. “Where is that line?”

Dever tested one himself, wading into the bathroom debate.

“Should someone with male genitalia be in an all-women’s spa where their bodies are exposed to each other? You’d kind of go like, ‘Ah, you know, I respect that you’re transitioning or whatever, but you’re not quite there yet. Maybe you don’t go into an all-women’s environment. It seems reasonable to me,'” Dever said. “For me, having just said that on the air, I’m probably going to get canceled 20 different ways.”

Russell said the real problem is the starting assumption.

“Don’t assume and call people a name that’s that serious,” Angela said.

“Don’t begin the discussion assuming bad faith,” Dever responded. “Let’s begin the discussion assuming good faith until that person proves us otherwise.”

Dever admitted he deleted the post that drew the worst responses, then got a thoughtful email from a family member explaining why Rowling’s comments hurt the trans community.

“It spurred a discussion within our family, and it was great,” Dever said. “Explain your point of view respectfully, let people talk it through, and determine where they land on the issue. I’m not gonna land in the same place that my relative landed in. I may be kind of close. I don’t think we’re that far apart.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The John Curley Show” weekdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM.

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