J.K. Rowling Doubles Down On Transphobic Comments In Lengthy Essay
Following backlash from transphobic tweets, Rowling published a lengthy essay on her personal website attempting to justify her views.
āHarry Potterā author J.K. Rowling doubled down on her recent transphobic comments in a lengthy essay detailing her fear of "trans activism" and what she describes as dangers of trans-friendly policies. Meanwhile, multiple āHarry Potterā movie stars have spoken out against Rowling's comments and emphasized their support of transgender people.
Rowling first tweeted on Saturday, mocking an op-ed headline that read, "Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate."
Rowling critiqued the language chosen, drawing further backlash with a follow-up tweet.
Following criticism over the transphobic tweets, Rowling published a lengthy essay on her personal website Wednesday in an apparent attempt to justify her views. In the essay, Rowling lists reasons why sheās worried about āthe new trans activism.ā Citing the work of several physicians and psychologists, she links an individualās decision to transition with gender dysmorphia ā an idea that many public health experts and LGBTQ+ activists say can make trans people feel their identities are invalidated by claims that they are āmentally ill.ā
āThe more of their accounts of gender dysphoria Iāve read, with their insightful descriptions of anxiety, dissociation, eating disorders, self-harm and self-hatred, the more Iāve wondered whether, if Iād been born 30 years later, I too might have tried to transition,ā she wrote. āThe allure of escaping womanhood would have been huge. I struggled with severe OCD as a teenager. If Iād found community and sympathy online that I couldnāt find in my immediate environment, I believe I could have been persuaded to turn myself into the son my father had openly said heād have preferred.ā
Rowling also implied that trans-positive policies, such as allowing transgender people to use their preferred bathroom, could lead to assault. She wrote that, as a survivor of sexual assault, she believes āthe majority of trans-identified people not only pose zero threat to othersā and that, āTrans people need and deserve protection.ā
But in the following paragraph, she wrote, āAt the same time, I do not want to make natal girls and women less safe. When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels heās a woman ā and, as Iāve said, gender confirmation certificates may now be granted without any need for surgery or hormones ā then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside.ā
As with Rowlingās Saturday tweets, many called out her essay as being bigoted and transphobic, as well as ill-timed while the world is focusing on the Black Lives Matter movement.
Stars from the āHarry Potterā and āFantastic Beasts And Where To Find Themā movies have also spoken out against Rowling's comments and emphasized their support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Daniel Radcliffe wrote a compassionate statement released on Monday by The Trevor Project, an organization that is dedicated to suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LBGTQ+ youth.
Emma Watson and Eddie Redmayne also spoke out on Wednesday in support of transgender people after Rowlingās latest slew of comments. Watson wrote: āTrans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they arenāt who they say they are.ā
This isnāt the first time Rowling has faced blowback for anti-trans comments. In December 2019, she tweeted her support for Maya Forstater, a woman who was fired for expressing anti-trans sentiments.