Once upon a time, JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, waded into the sticky waters of the 'trans debate' and inevitably there followed a Twitter storm. Fans disowned her. Organisations shunned her. High-profile stars of the film franchise, such as Daniel Radcliffe and Emily Watson (and even that other one, y'know, the Ginger One), people who owed their entire careers to the her, all distanced themselves.
It feels like musical producer, Sir Cameron Mackintosh, is going through a similar moment.
Similar, but not the same. As far as I can tell, this hoo-ha is a much lower key. Mackintosh didn't tweet his opinions directly but was quoted in a newspaper interview. And JK Rowling's response to the fallout was to write a lengthy article defending her position. Mackintosh's was to issue a clarification and a sort-of apology.
So what's all the fuss about?
Well, the always thorough Shentonian, critic Mark Shenton, has a decent summary. Here's the headline from the original newspaper article:
"Transgender twist on classic roles is 'gimmick casting', says top producer"
And here's the offensive quote from Mackintosh:
"You can't implant something that isn't inherently there in the story or character, that's what I think. Just to do that, that becomes gimmick casting. It's trying to force something that isn't natural."
It's that 'gimmick casting' line that seems to have done the damage. Some took it as a description of casting trans actors generally, hence the retaliatory hashtag #notagimmick.
Now it's not clear whether Mackintosh was being asked about his shows in general or specifically about the role of Mary Poppins. It's also not clear whether he was talking about casting a trans actor or rewriting a show to make the lead character trans. 'Gimmick casting' obviously refers to actors but the rest of the quote suggests sounds more about changing a character.
So has the Big Mac revealed himself to be a terrible transphobe or just a producer concerned with the integrity of his shows? Well, take your pick. And many have.
Personally I doubt he's any kind of phobe or bigot. In fact the only criticism I have is with the bit in his statement where he apologises for any 'distress caused by my remarks being misinterpreted'. Now I'm not keen on these sorry-not-sorry kind of apologies. If you don't think you've done anything wrong, don't apologise. And if you really feel that you've been maligned, then make a more honest and bullish defence (like JK Rowling). Preferably astride a large barricade and holding a smoking rifle in each hand, Enjolras-style.
Or is that just me?
I suspect that Mackintosh was just hoping for a quiet life. I fear that his critics are not going to give him one. This issue may well rumble on and, if it does, then it would be better to have the discussion openly and honestly and with as much good faith as possible.
Maybe Twitter isn't the best venue.
Just ask JK.
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