Harry Potter book series author J.K.Rowling is being criticized since the last week. Some tweets which are being considered transphobic have gotten her to face backlash from many people. Later, she shared a 3600-word-long essay to defend her opinions. Also, she shared her past experiences of abuse to clarify her stance.
Her tweets about this issue received a lot of criticism from the LGBTQ community. Many of her fans and colleagues clarified that they don’t agree with the statements made by J.K.Rowling.
All this began when she gave her reaction to the headline of an article. The headline included the phrase “people who menstruate”. The tone of her tweet didn’t go well for a lot of people. You can have a look at Rowling’s tweet below.
‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?
Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate https://t.co/cVpZxG7gaA
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2024
This followed a round of questioning and criticism from a large number of people including the transgender community and supporters. She replied to many things said to her with some even more controversial replies.
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.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2024
J. K. Rowling’s essay
Firstly, she clarified that she doesn’t want to add up to the toxicity surrounding this issue. She expressed her past experiences and stated that she is a survivor of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Furthermore, Rowling went on to show her concern about single-sex spaces. She said that her personal experiences and research are the basis of her take on these issues. In addition, Rowling said that there is a need for the protection of transgender people but some “demands” by them can prove to be harmful to women.
How are people reacting to the essay?
Emma Watson, who played Hermoine in the Harry Potter film series shared a tweet expressing her stand about this issue. She didn’t mention Rowling directly but it is well-understood that she was trying to address what Rowling says. Take a look at what Emma tweeted.
Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.
— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) June 10, 2024
Moreover, Daniel Radcliff also shared his disagreement about Rowling’s opinion. Radcliff played the lead role of Harry Potter in the series. The main lead of the Fantastic Beasts movie series, Eddie Redmayne criticized her comments about this issue.
