The Matrix co-director Lilly Wachowski has declared that anyone who continues supporting Harry Potter is helping fund “trans gen*cide,” prompting a blistering response from J.K. Rowling’s representative, who called the allegations “fabricated” and unsupported by evidence.
Wachowski made the extraordinary accusation during a new interview with Variety while discussing Rowling, Elon Musk, and HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter television series.
The filmmaker, a biological man who identifies as a woman, was asked about Rowling and Musk, whom Variety characterized as having inflicted “an enormous amount of cultural damage” on the gender community.
Wachowski’s response was immediate.
“I mean… these people are Na*is. They’re literal Na*is,” Wachowski said.
The filmmaker specifically accused Musk of having a connection to the “Na*i community” before the conversation shifted to Harry Potter and Rowling.
That was when Wachowski went considerably further.
Wachowski Says Supporting ‘Harry Potter’ Supports Gender ‘Eradication’
Asked about HBO’s massive new adaptation of Rowling’s books, Wachowski directly accused the author of financing a gen*cide against transgender people.
“She is funding trans gen*cide,” Wachowski told Variety. “J.K. Rowling funds trans gen*cide, full stop. So, if you support Harry Potter, you’re supporting trans gen*cide.”
Wachowski argued that because Rowling continues to financially benefit from the enormously valuable Wizarding World franchise, consumers who purchase Harry Potter products or watch adaptations of her work are indirectly financing Rowling’s political and legal activities.
JK Rowling Smoking a cigar – X, @jk_rowling
“The money that goes into you enjoying these products, a portion of that money goes to J.K. Rowling and that money goes into her funding anti-trans legislation all over the world,” Wachowski claimed.
The filmmaker compared boycotting Harry Potter to refusing to purchase a Tesla because of opposition to Musk or reducing gasoline consumption because of concerns about climate change.
Wachowski then personalized the accusation.
“Your enjoyment of these shows, and continued support of these shows, is supporting my eradication.”
It’s an accusation that goes far beyond criticizing Rowling herself. Wachowski is effectively placing responsibility on the millions of people who continue to read the books, play Harry Potter games, purchase merchandise, visit Wizarding World attractions, or intend to watch HBO’s upcoming television adaptation.
Rowling’s Camp Fires Back
Rowling’s representative has now responded, and the author’s camp is strongly disputing Wachowski’s characterization of what Rowling actually funds.
Rowling’s agent, Neil Blair, provided Entertainment Weekly with a statement defending the author while drawing a distinction between disagreement over gender issues and these accusations.
“Freedom of speech is a principle we should all cherish,” Blair said. “What matters is that J.K. Rowling’s views, as with anyone else’s, are represented accurately, fairly and respectfully and that individual opinion does not detract from those views.”
Blair then directly addressed Wachowski’s claim.
Author J.K. Rowling reads from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at the Easter Egg Roll at White House. Screenshot taken from official White House video. Photo Credit: Executive Office of the President, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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According to Blair, Rowling’s J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund financially supports women pursuing legal action in the United Kingdom to preserve sex-based rights provided under the Equality Act 2010.
“She does not support legal actions aimed at harming transgender people or efforts to limit trans rights,” Blair said.
He was even more forceful regarding Wachowski’s use of specific terms.
“People are free to disagree with her views but seriously defamatory allegations of this nature, even outrageously invoking the Na*i’s and the genocide that they committed, should never be presented as fact when they are clearly fabricated and not based on any evidence.”
What Does Rowling’s Fund Actually Do?
Rowling launched the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund in 2025.
According to the fund’s stated mission, it provides financial assistance to individuals and organizations attempting to preserve women’s and girls’ sex-based rights in areas including workplaces, sports, clubs, and protected single-sex spaces.
It also provides assistance to people who say they have suffered professional or financial consequences because of their belief that biological sex is immutable.
That work has inevitably placed Rowling directly in the middle of one of the most contentious political and cultural battles in the world.
J.K. Rowling via misshef YouTube
But describing legal funding intended to litigate the boundaries of sex-based rights under existing British law as funding “eradication” is an enormous escalation — and one Rowling’s representative is now explicitly rejecting.
There is also an important distinction between Rowling financing litigation and Wachowski’s claim that Rowling is funding “anti-trans legislation all over the world.”
Blair specifically describes Rowling’s fund as supporting legal actions in the United Kingdom rather than financing legislation internationally.
Whatever one thinks of Rowling’s position, those aren’t interchangeable claims.
The Battle Over ‘Harry Potter’ Isn’t Going Away
Wachowski’s comments arrive as Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO are making one of their largest bets yet on Rowling’s creation.
Rowling is an executive producer on HBO’s Harry Potter adaptation, alongside Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts, David Heyman, showrunner Francesca Gardiner, and director Mark Mylod.
HBO has also previously made clear that Rowling’s political views are not going to sever its relationship with the author.
The network previously defended its continued partnership with Rowling, saying it had worked with her for more than two decades, that her contribution to the franchise had been “invaluable,” and that Rowling has the right to express her personal views.
Lilly Wachowski speaks at an event – YouTube, Entertainment Tonight
HBO chief Casey Bloys has similarly argued that Rowling’s positions are separate from the content of the television series.
The continued success of the franchise therefore creates an uncomfortable reality for activists hoping controversy surrounding Rowling will eventually make Harry Potter commercially untouchable: Warner Bros. Discovery has shown little indication that it intends to abandon one of the most recognizable entertainment properties on Earth.
Wachowski’s solution is apparently to place that responsibility directly on consumers, telling them to not buy the products, watch the show, or financially support anything connected to Rowling.
Dominic McLaughlin in his wizarding robes as Harry Potter – HBO
Consumers are, of course, free to make that decision. But declaring that people who simply continue enjoying Harry Potter are supporting “eradication” is something altogether different.
Rowling’s camp has now drawn its own line in response: disagree with her positions all you want, but accusing her of financing genocide — and invoking evil regimes of the past while doing so — is an allegation it says bears no relationship to what her money is actually funding.
How do you feel about Lilly Wachowski lashing out at Harry Potter? Sound off and let us know!
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