CIVIL RIGHTS
New Chapter in J.K. Rowling’s Book of Transphobia
Bestselling author continues bizarre obsession with attacking concept of gender identity
BY MATT TRACY
“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling
has, yet again, inserted
her infl ammatory thoughts
about transgender individuals
into the public arena, reigniting criticism of
the famed writer, which in turn prompted her
to further fan the raging fl ames with a lengthy
post that invoked transphobic narratives used
in the resistance to transgender rights and
identity.
The latest chapter in Rowling’s ongoing fi xation
on transgender people fi rst blew up with a
series of tweets on June 6 and continued with
a note — a very long note — she posted on her
website. The controversy about her views on
the subject comes back to life just months after
she rushed to the defense of a researcher,
Maya Forstater, who was booted from her job for
tweets saying things like, “enforcing the dogma
that transwomen are women is totalitarian.”
Rowling expressed outrage that Forstater was
fi red and explicitly stated in a tweet that “there
are two sexes. Men are male. Women are female.
REUTERS/ CARLO ALLEGRI
Author JK Rowling is not backing down from her effort to question
just about everything about transgender people.
It is impossible to change sex.”
This time around, Rowling continued along
that same path, fi rst with her June 6 tweet,
which insisted on the primacy of sex over gender
in understanding people’s lived experience.
“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction,”
Rowling wrote. “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.”
The “but” in Rowling’s tweet became representative
of a pattern in her subsequent arguments
that emerged over the following days as
she sought to qualify her points in an on-onehand
on-the-other-hand manner. The author
used a 3,600-word opus on her website to again
rush to the defense of researchers questioning
trans identities, paint transgender activists as
aggressive people with a one-way-or-the-highway
approach, and boost arguments that trans
people don’t belong in public bathrooms and
shouldn’t have gender-affi rming government
documents.
Moreover, she expressed “concern” about the
number of people transitioning and said she is
“deeply concerned about the consequences of
➤ J.K ROWLING, continued on p.49
The throngs of people on the Brooklyn Bridge.
➤ DYKE MARCH, BLACK LIVES, from p.6
inclusivity in mind by including
a wheelchair bank for those who
needed access to accommodations.
Masks and hand sanitizer
were also be available, and
trained marshals were on hand
to keep marchers safe during the
event.
When asked what she expected
for the march, Walker smiled and
said, “The beautiful thing about it
DONNA ACETO
is that we don’t know.”
But, above all else, Walker had
one important request of those who
are in attendance.
“I want this to be a fun and loving
event, and I’m going to challenge
people to love someone that they did
not love or know of before the march
started,” Walker said hours before
the event began. “It’s a spirit of joy. I
thought I would wake up and be so
nervous, but I’m super excited.”
One participant displayed the names of Black folks, including a transgender woman, Nina Pop, and a
trans man, Tony McDade, killed in violence by police and others recently.
DONNA ACETO
Organizer Valarie Walker in a more light-hearted
moment of the march.
DONNA ACETO
DONNA ACETO
One marcher emphasizing the need for Black
women to hold their space.
June 25- July 15, 2 44 020 | GayCityNews.com
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