JK Rowling And The Transphobic Tweets
Back in June, JK Rowling caused a media storm when she took to Twitter to comment on a photo entitled “Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate”. Rowling, who despite writing the world’s best-selling book series, couldn’t seem to wrap her head around the idea that “people” can menstruate and sought to use her literary prowess to educate us that it is in fact “women” who menstruate. To many, this tweet excluded those whose biological sex means they still have a menstrual cycle but identify as male. This might have been excused as a bad joke or boomer ignorance had this not been yet another example of Rowling making transphobic tweets.
Like many people in their early 30s, Harry Potter holds a special place in my heart. For two decades Rowling was our hero: the saviour who bestowed the gospel of Hogwarts. For me personally, Harry Potter was there during many of the big milestones in my life. I received the first two books for my 8th birthday and the third shortly after. The first film was released the week I started high school. I finished sixth form as the final book came out. At 8 months pregnant, I took my last child-free weekend away and saw The Cursed Child in London. I’ve grown up with Harry Potter, and Harry Potter grew up with me.
I watched Harry Potter evolve from just another children’s book, to a popular series, to a worldwide phenomenon. For a whole generation, Harry Potter is part of our culture, a constant that is continually expanding, always there. I have also watched Rowling go from unknown author to global icon. To quote Batman, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." And now here we are, watching her become the villain.
Rowling’s latest tweet has led to people combing through her old writing, books and tweets included, to find other expressions of her true feelings towards trans people. The evidence is damning. Previous tweets expressed her opinion that you cannot change your sex and that encouraging children to transition is akin to child abuse. Others have noticed how she prescribes masculine characteristics to female characters as negative traits - Rita Skeeter, for example, is described as having a “heavily jawed face” and “mannish hands”.
The biggest problem is the lack of apology. This is something we see time and time again with a generation of people who often try to appear “woke” but lack the full understanding and empathy they need to exhibit to demonstrate true acceptance. Instead, it makes us question their authenticity. Instead of owning up to her ignorance, Rowling doubled-down and issued a 3,500 word statement revealing that she was the victim of domestic violence. She outlined five reasons she was “justifiably scared” of trans people, including her belief that affirming anybody other than cisgender people as “women” would make them unsafe in places like public bathrooms and changing rooms.
This did not lead to an outpouring of sympathy one would usually expect when someone reveals that they were a victim of violence. It simply solidified the judgements cast upon her. Rape Crisis England and Wales estimates that 90% of all violent crime against women is committed by people known to them. That means you’re more likely to be beaten or raped by your boyfriend or a male friend, than you are to be attacked by a stranger in women’s loos. Even Rowling admits that her attacker was not a trans person lurking in the shadows, it was the man in her bedroom who she’d vowed to spend her life with.
For this, Rowling has been labelled a “TERF”. That is, an extreme feminist who is "unwilling to recognise trans women as sisters". Rowling stated that incels, Donald Trump, and trans-allies who gave her this TERF label, were complicit in the “the most misogynistic period [I’ve] experienced” and stated her fears that they were a threat to women. She failed to separate those who genuinely mistreat women from those who just dislike her, and in doing so, she failed to recognise that trans people are far more likely to be the victims of discrimination and violence than perpetrators.
Shortly afterwards, Rowling teamed up with 150 other people to condemn “cancel culture”. That is, the idea that society withdraws mainstream support for a public figure or company after an offensive or objectionable offence. Many of the names on this list are easily recognisable: Salman Rushdie, Noam Chomsky, Malcolm Gladwell, Gloria Steinem. And what do these names have in common? That’s right, they’re modern, in-touch, and totally relatable to the youth of today. Just kidding! While there is an argument to be made that “cancel culture” is a throttling of our freedom of speech, we have to ask ourselves, when does freedom of speech become a criminal act? When is it simply airing your opinion, and when is that opinion so morally reprehensible that it becomes something that requires punishment?
It wasn’t that long ago, that being black, gay, Muslim, or dressing in the clothes of the opposite sex, was enough to see you shamed, outcast, or even killed. Enough people deemed these “acts” as so abhorrent, that they required reproach. These aren’t choices - it’s not airing your opinions on social media - this is simply existing. People who laud free speech as a basic human right are often those with views that are not held by the general public, they’re the ones intentionally stirring the pot or they’re dinosaurs who refuse to accept that society is changing and their opinions are no longer acceptable. They are people who demonise others for who they are and what they believe but cannot deal with being criticised for what they do and say.
That said, many a celebrity has committed crimes that one can argue are much, much worse than Rowling’s misdemeanour. Mark Wahlberg was arrested for the attempted murder of two Vietnamese men, Sean Penn has been repeatedly been accused of domestic violence, and even Jay-Z was arrested for stabbing a man he accused of stealing his work. But we haven’t written these men off. Chris Brown still sells records, everyone loves Will Smith, and who doesn’t get down to R Kelly’s Ignition? All these men also have criminal records for violence, but people buy their music and watch their movies. So, what makes Rowling different? Do her actions mean that the entire Harry Potter franchise should be burned to the ground? I personally believe that we can separate the person from the art when the art has a cultural impact that goes beyond simply making money for the originator and begins to mean something deeper to the wider world. Rowling no longer owns Harry Potter; it belongs to everyone who has queued at midnight to buy the books and taken eighteen Pottermore tests to determine what house they are in (Gryffindor, obviously).
We have a long history of separating an individual from their actions. We turn a blind eye to who they are in their personal life while continuing to enjoy their work. When do we say no more? Is it when they say something that is just that step too far? Is it when their work plummets in quality and we no longer revere them the same way? Because no doubt, this is also linked to the fact that Rowling’s post-Potter works have undermined the value of her product. The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them series has been panned, and The Cursed Child was detested by swathes of fans who saw it as destroying the franchise.
Is criticism of Rowling personally only acceptable now we’re criticising her work? Or it is just that in 2020, the apocalypse has come for those who refuse to be inclusive? This is the year we’ve watched statues of “problematic” men fall, statues of those whose mistreatment of minorities we, as a society, have deemed to outweigh their positive contributions to our history. Maybe “cancel culture” is how we dump still-living icons into the harbour.
Written by Kim Graves
Kim Graves is a nutrition advisor, writer, and editor. Having spent a decade working in publishing, Kim is using those skills to share her love of food and wellness. Kim is also a keen triathlete and weightlifter, constantly finding new physical activities to try. She is also founder of forcemujer.co.uk, a place to celebrate women and their achievements. You can follow her personal attempts to mother a crazy toddler and adorable kitten and sometimes read a book or two on Instagram at @kim_grs.