This is the first edition of a new monthly Q&A/Advice Column for paying subscribers. A google form to submit new questions can be found at the bottom of this post. Submissions always remain anonymous.
Question 1: A friend of mine shared with me that she will no longer read or encourage others to read J.K. Rowling's books because of Rowling's comments about trans people. My friend has said that Rowling is using hate speech towards the trans community. I shared my concern about being exhausted with cancel culture. She saw this as different. I read some articles about Rowling's opinions and then the response from some trans people. I still am struggling to understand. I shared with my friend that it seems one can't even share their own concerns that Rowling shares without fear of being canceled and rejected. It just seems like to me that it's one more issue we have to take sides on. How do you interpret all of this?