Actor Mason Alexander Park, who played the nonbinary character Desire in Netflix's The Sandman, accused author J.K. Rowling of bullying transgender YouTuber Jessie Earl.Rowling took to social media to criticize Earl's calls for a widespread boycott of the upcoming Wizarding World video game, Hogwarts Legacy. In response, Park slammed Rowling for her comments. "Remember when JK equated Graham Norton's quote that 'we should listen to trans people' to him 'throwing support behind rape and death threats' and ran him off Twitter?" Park wrote. "Seems she does it anytime someone approaches this subject with any nuance. As any bully does. Deplorable."
Park further criticized the author for abusing her expansive platform, with the actor claiming Rowling was using her fame to aid in the unjust persecution of the transgender community. They continued, "Purposefully misconstruing a trans person's sensible take on how best to engage with material written by someone who vehemently uses their platform to push transphobia and misinformation into the mainstream is completely on brand for her. [Earl] deserves better. We all do."
The Sandman's LGBTQ+ History
Author Neil Gaiman, who wrote the original The Sandman comics and took on the role of co-creator for the Netflix adaptation, has repeatedly expressed his support for the LGBTQ+ community and defended his inclusion of a variety of gender identities. He additionally claimed a substantial number of his fans identified as members of the LGBTQ+, who could empathize with the characters of The Sandman. Gaiman described how their admiration for the series went on to influence his work and motivated him to "create an accurate representation of the world that I lived in." The author claimed that completely omitting LGBTQ+ characters from The Sandman series would have been a false representation of his life and a disservice to the community as a whole.
Gaiman also previously confirmed the highly-anticipated Season 2 of The Sandman will feature the TV debut of Wanda Mann, a transgender woman who was one of the central characters in the fifth major story arc of the source material. Though it remains unclear who will portray the character, Wanda will reportedly play an equally big role in the Netflix adaptation, with Gaiman stating that Wanda will be "a huge, huge part" of Season 2.
The Sandman is available to stream exclusively on Netflix. Season 2 has yet to receive an official release date.
Source: Twitter