We regret to inform you that JK Rowling is make her anti-trans views more well-known.
Despite claiming to “love” trans people, JK Rowling has posted a series of tweets against the community. Her thread came after an article about people who menstruate, and how best to support them after the coronavirus pandemic has ended.
The article was simply highlighting ways to be inclusive as trans men and non-binary individuals can also menstruate.
In a series of tweets, she wrote: “‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?
“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.”
She then attempted to claim that she supported the trans community, writing: “The idea that women like me, who’ve been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they’re vulnerable in the same way as women – ie, to male violence – ‘hate’ trans people because they think sex is real and has lived consequences – is a nonsense.
“I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.”
She also retweeted an article from an anti-trans website, as well a prominent figure in the anti-trans group, the LGB Alliance, and claimed to have spent the last three years researching papers from trans individuals, medics and gender specialists.
Unsurprisingly, despite claiming to “love” trans people, the replies to her tweets brought up a tonne of transphobia, as well as her liking more tweets from anti-trans individuals.
However, we don’t want to clog up this article with mindless transphobia, so instead we’re glad to report that many condemned JK’s recent anti-trans tweets to stand in solidarity with the trans community.
Jaremi Carey, who may be better known as Phi Phi O’Hara, deleted his cosplay of JK Rowling from when he cosplayed as multiple characters from the Harry Potter franchise last Halloween.
Mermaids tweeted: “It appears the self-appointed gender sorting hat is back with more un-ickabogish ruminations. Please don’t quote tweet though. It’s already a rough time & in our experience this will cause more sadness, frustration and distress to those already feeling betrayed. #TransIsBeautiful”
And trans activist Shon Faye wrote: “JK’s transphobic outburst last night is basically a display of the bizarre and specifically British phenomenon of ‘gender critical’ writ large. She posted it late at night with no sense of proportionality against other, bigger, issues in the world.”
And Supergirl star Nicole Maines, who is a trans woman, wrote in a statement: “I know who I am. Other people thinking that they know better than me is the reason I had to change school districts and didn’t get to live with my father for 6 years.
“Transphobia split up my family. So I’m going to say this really slowly. Allowing transgender people to exist in public spaces that align with their gender identity (bathrooms, etc) in no way shape or form infringes on your rights.
“Transgender people recognize and respect the struggles that biological women have faced in their lives. We are not trying to take your experiences away from you.
“We have experienced many of the same struggles (harassment from strangers, pay gaps, the glass ceiling). But not all. However, they haven’t experienced many of our struggles.
“No two women’s lived experiences are exactly the same. No two women are exactly the same. And women are not defined by their ability to give you children.
“Stop policing our identities. This isn’t open for discussion.”
This is hardly JK’s first instance of transphobia, she blamed a ‘middle age moment’ for liking a tweet with said that trans women were just men in dresses, and last year supported Maya Forstater, who lost her job after tweeting that transgender women cannot change their biological sex, in reaction to proposals of the Gender Recognition Act which would allow people to identify as the opposite sex.
Related: Feminist bookstore will donate to Mermaids whenever someone buys a JK Rowling book
Latest
