I'm not endorsing it. At all. But it seems not to be a thin distinction for them, and I think it's worth noting that the faith/hope that big-name actors would stay away from Harry Potter projects (something I myself believed!) has turned out to be baseless.
I don't disagree and I understand you're pointing out these perceptions are inherently self-serving (in the short term at least; they may receive enough backlash that it's not ... I guess we'll see) I didn't have faith that big names would avoid this, but I do think we shouldn't whitewash it either
It's why I'm pushing back on the importance or value in the "I don't think they are transphobes" distinction ... it's a rhetorical softening that rubs the rough edges off of what is, by extension or omission, an endorsement of a noted and powerful transphobe
To be clear, I'm not saying it as a way of saying, "Don't call them that bad name." I'm saying that many people who likely hate what she says about trans people seem not to be having much trouble finding a story they can tell themselves about why it's okay to take these jobs...which is pretty grim.
It is grim! I think perhaps it's more accurate to say "it's possible THEY don't think they're transphobes" but as culture critics I do see an importance in naming it clearly because to align oneself professionally with a very public and active transphobe is a transphobic act
In more areas than I can count, I wish that "If you do this, then you're complicit" was an argument that had more of an impact on the people we want it to have an impact on. Maybe this time it will work...
(me responding is not me trying to have the last word lol!) I hear you. My pov is slightly different. Sure, it would be great if this affected how stars moved! But I think I'm as (or more) interested in how *we* as consumers of their work discuss this amongst ourselves. What do WE value?
That’s a good last word—it’s all yours!
They are all fucking money sucking hateful bigots.