J.K. Rowling’s agent supports her against criticism of her transphobic remarks, claiming he’s proud to align with the author of Harry Potter because his agency believes in freedom of speech!

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J.K. Rowling was recently caught in a scandal after making insensitive remarks against the queer community. Amid the backlash, her longtime agent Neil Blair has backed the Harry Potter author by releasing a statement to Deadline. The Blair Partnership founding partner said he was proud to represent Rowling as his agency stands by the notion of freedom of speech.

In the statement, Blair claimed that throughout his 25 years of knowing her, he watched and admired her charitable work and her “brave campaigning” on many issues while she became an extraordinary best-selling author.

“As an agency, it is our honor and responsibility to champion the rights of all our clients to express their thoughts and beliefs, and we believe in freedom of speech,” he said. “As such, I am proud to represent Jo,” Blair added.

This intervention came in the wake of an article published by the outlet that explored how Rowling’s rhetoric on transgender rights comes into conflict with Warner Bros. Discovery and BBC’s inclusive policies.

In June 2020, the Strike author came under fire after sharing a spree of controversial tweets. She reposted an article about creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate and wrote, “‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” on X (formally Twitter).

Netizens blasted her over her rhetoric, but she continued her tweets against the trans community. “I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth,” she added.

According to Deadline, the author had gone from standing by transgender rights to refusing to use their preferred pronouns and calling some trans women “crossdressers.”

Apart from Blair, other industry figures also stood by Rowling amid the backlash, and, one of them was her former mentor and The X-Files writer Frank Spotnitz. “The Harry Potter books are deeply humanist, empathetic, enlightened work,” he said. “People can disagree about other things, but I think they deserve the place they hold in our culture,” he added.