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MANILA, Philippines – J.K. Rowling, who authored the popular Harry Potter series, was called out by fans after she posted a series of anti-trans tweets on Sunday, June 7.
Rowling, who built an empire on stories about a young wizard who topples a power-hungry madman who routinely excludes and murders segments of a fictional wizarding society, began with a tweet reacting to an opinion article entitled “Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate.”
“‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” said Rowling, apparently overlooking the fact that there are women who no longer menstruate, who menstruate but don’t identify as women, or who do not menstruate but identify as women.
The author then went on to post a string of tweets hitting those who think “biological sex isn’t real.”
“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 said.
“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,” she added.
“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 added.
What’s going on? US-based LGBTQ rights organization GLAAD said Rowling’s tweets “willfully distorts facts about gender identity and people who are trans. In 2020, there is no excuse for targeting trans people.”
Philippine-based Metro Manila Pride, meanwhile, reminded followers that Rowling is not an ally and urged them to follow other authors who are, in fact, allies of the LGBTQ+.
ICYMI: J.K. Rowling is NOT an ally, mga mahal. https://t.co/GjYyclLjqT pic.twitter.com/MabjaU4QXZ
This isn’t the first time that Rowling’s been criticized for her statements against trans women disguised as statements of support. In December, she publicly supported a researcher who was fired for saying a person cannot change their biological sex.
Rowling has been called a TERF, or a trans-exclusionary radical feminist, by critics.
The term was first coined in the oughts but traces its origins to radical feminist circles in the 70s, according to Vox, to differentiate those who support trans women from those who do not. “Many anti-trans feminists today claim it’s a slur, despite what many see as an accurate description of their beliefs. They now prefer to call themselves ‘gender critical,’ a euphemism akin to white supremacists calling themselves ‘race realists,’” Vox reports.
“JK Rowling” trending on Twitter both worldwide and in the Philippines as a result of her tweets.
Happy Pride? Rowling’s tweets – and reminder of her anti-trans sentiments – comes as LGBTQ people all over the world celebrite Pride month. In the Philippines, the physical pride march – an event that brings together tens of thousands of queer people and their allies – has been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Events related to pride and LGBTQ and SOGIE awareness, however, continue online. – Rappler.com
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