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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

TERF

Aug 2–25, 2024
54 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2LR, United Kingdom

Over the last few years, when J. K. Rowling began aligning herself with T.E.R.F. ideology—the acronym for a “trans-exclusionary radical feminist”—many of her fans were flummoxed. Among those disgruntled by her views were Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, who respectively played Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter film series. In a time fraught with political division, it appeared that even Hogwarts wasn’t immune. The tension between this trio of actors and Rowling is the basis of Joshua Kaplan’s TERF, a play set to debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It concerns Jo, a “literary phenomenon” whose surrogate children (Daniel, Emma, and Rupert—not thinly veiled) stage an intervention in light of their mother’s opinions about transgenderism. There’s significant buzz around the play. Rowling has been invited to the show. —Jack Sullivan

Photo courtesy of Edinburgh Fringe Festival