JK Rowling, the creator of one of the most beloved series of books that allowed all of us to escape to a world of magic, is still defending her transphobic views. Two days ago, she penned an essay on her personal site titled “J.K. Rowling Writes about Her Reasons for Speaking out on Sex and Gender Issues“.
In this essay, she stated that hate for her online began when she “absent-mindedly liked” a particular tweet, instead of screenshotting it for future research. This, in addition to her defence of Maya Forstater, who was fired from her job after transphobic tweets, is what Rowling believes to be the reason for online hate.
She claims that she “knows and loves trans people”. If that were true, she’d be trying to educate herself by listening to them and their experiences before making such harmful comments. And she wouldn’t be continuing to post things on twitter like “TERF wars”. I mean c’mon, now you’re just admitting that you exclude trans people from your version of feminism.
News flash, Joanne: feminism represents more than just cis-gendered white women, and you’re part the problem.
Transphobia Isn’t Cool, Joanne
Over the past few days, JK Rowling has been still been posting transphobic tweets online, which has inspired a number of people to speak out against her views. From Harry Potter stars, to the everyday person who has felt let down and rejected by the author, have all publicly shut down the transphobic comments made.
Even Harry Potter himself Daniel Radcliffe has come out to reject Rowling’s comments. He argued that more needs to be done to support transgender and non binary people, so that no more harm is caused by invalidating their identities.
“Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I.”
Here’s what other people on Twitter had to say about JK Rowling’s comments:
Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.
— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) June 10, 2020
Never cared for JK Rowling. Definitely don’t at this moment. TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN. TRANS MEN ARE MEN. Anyone who doesn’t get that can jump the fuck off a cliff.
— George Salazar (@georgesalazar) June 11, 2020
jk rowling’s publicist tries to stop her from tweeting “TERF wars.” pic.twitter.com/ATNGSnrGYH
— Tess, Please! (@tessplease) June 11, 2020
If Harry Potter was a source of love and belonging for you, that love is infinite and there to take without judgment or question. Transwomen are Women. I see and love you, Bonnie x
— Bonnie Wright (@thisisbwright) June 10, 2020
In which Daniel Radcliffe once again reveals himself to be just a swell fuckin guy:https://t.co/fDPIoDQhqt pic.twitter.com/L2m8ZdYZmY
— Sarah Gailey (@gaileyfrey) June 9, 2020
gonna need everyone on the planet to tweet this picture of @EmmaWatson at @jk_rowling until she gets the fuckin hint and stops bullshitting us with that “but the poor children!” fuckery. the children that are supposedly at risk are probably trans anyway. pic.twitter.com/1I022vYPER
— morgan (@turntechfckhead) June 11, 2020
Here’s a snap of me and my mum. I menstruate. She doesn’t. Not everyone who menstruates is a woman, and not all women menstruate. pic.twitter.com/VOJKacFDu6
— Ruairí (@morningruairi) June 7, 2020
TRIGGER WARNING: Transphobia, sexual assault
I read essay #JKRowling did and oh boy do I have some things to say. Buckle up because this is gonna be a long thread lol.
First off, lemme fix the title of her essay to “J.K. Rowling Writes about Her Reasons for being a Bigot.” pic.twitter.com/RVyAVtS37t
— Alex Moon (@AlexMoonWriting) June 11, 2020
Watching Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and now Eddie Redmayne stand up and say in no uncertain terms that they support trans people and disagree with everything that evil transphobic hag says is really, really satisfying
— Marzipan Intellectual @ regency recluse life (@woodsmokewords) June 10, 2020
Regardless of one’s views on the trans/TERF debate, JK Rowling’s victimhood complex is suffocating & narcissistic.
She’s one of the world’s richest & most famous people, but views herself as a supreme victim because she endures what all public figures endure: harsh criticism. https://t.co/1zjgGQZCWM
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) June 11, 2020
JK, It’s Time To Step Away From The Keyboard
As a cis-gendered woman, I can’t claim to know how the trans community will be feeling right now. I can’t speak on behalf of them.
But what I can say is that I’m extremely disappointed that an author who created a world where young people fought for freedom, love, strength in diversity, and acceptance would so publicly reject the lived experiences of many individuals within her fanbase.
For someone as high profile as JK Rowling to so publicly erase the experiences of individuals who have found their home within the world that she created is heartbreaking. She has basically said that their experiences don’t matter or don’t exist, because trans men are not “real” men and trans women are not “real” women.
Bullshit.
Rowling even went one step further by implying that only women menstruate. I don’t know where she got that idea, because there are trans men who menstruate, and there are cis women who don’t. Does that make a cis woman any less of a woman because she doesn’t have a period? No! Therefore, it shouldn’t mean that a trans man with a period is a woman.
‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?
Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate https://t.co/cVpZxG7gaA
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020
Honestly, she needs to step away from the keyboard and take some time to educate herself. It’s literally Pride Month right now, and she still can’t seem to find a way to educate herself. We wouldn’t have pride month without the involvement and activism of the trans community.
Image Source: Facebook (J.K. Rowling)
