Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has finally followed up on accusations of transphobia following a series of comments she made on social media.
The creator of the beloved fantasy series, as well as the Fantastic Beasts series of films, penned an essay on her website, where she went into length about her stance on trans issues, as well as the intentions behind her incendiary remarks. "This isn’t an easy piece to write," she explained, "for reasons that will shortly become clear, but I know it’s time to explain myself on an issue surrounded by toxicity. I write this without any desire to add to that toxicity."
Rowling's interest in trans issues began nearly two years ago after she immersed herself in research around the subject, reasoning that the crime series she was writing focused on a female detective who "is of an age to be interested in, and affected by, these issues herself." However, her studies also connected her to individuals who are reportedly known for transphobic views. Most recently, in December 2019, she came to the defense of researcher Maya Forstater, who stated that a person cannot change their biological sex.
"What I didn’t expect in the aftermath of my cancellation was the avalanche of emails and letters that came showering down upon me, the overwhelming majority of which were positive, grateful and supportive," Rowlings said about her most recent incident. "They came from a cross-section of kind, empathetic and intelligent people, some of them working in fields dealing with gender dysphoria and trans people, who’re all deeply concerned about the way a socio-political concept is influencing politics, medical practice and safeguarding. They’re worried about the dangers to young people, gay people and about the erosion of women’s and girl’s rights."
Rowling posted a series of tweets on June 6 chastising the phrase "people who menstruate" in an article regarding how COVID-19 may affect menstruation. She criticized the notion that gender does not exist, and called the idea of cisgender women feeling kindship with trans women "nonsense."
"If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction," she tweeted. "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."
Referencing her tweets in her essay, Rowling outlined five points as to why she was worried about trans activism. Among them were accusations that it pushes "to erode the legal definition of sex and replace it with gender," as well as her defense of freedom of speech.
Her last two points veer into clinical and personal information. First, she expressed concern with what she called "the huge explosion in young women wishing to transition and also about the increasing numbers who seem to be detransitioning (returning to their original sex)." She cited a study from American physician and researcher Lisa Littman, who controversially said in 2018 she believed gender dysmorphia was a social contagion spurred from peer influences.
"The more of their accounts of gender dysphoria I’ve read," Rowling wrote, "with their insightful descriptions of anxiety, dissociation, eating disorders, self-harm and self-hatred, the more I’ve wondered whether, if I’d been born 30 years later, I too might have tried to transition." Instead, she found her "otherness" through the works of female writers and musicians, who assured her that she not be feminine to still be a woman.
"As many women have said before me, 'woman' is not a costume," she continued. "'Woman' is not an idea in a man’s head. 'Woman' is not a pink brain, a liking for Jimmy Choos or any of the other sexist ideas now somehow touted as progressive. Moreover, the 'inclusive' language that calls female people ‘menstruators’ and ‘people with vulvas’ strikes many women as dehumanising and demeaning."
In her final point, she revealed her history as a domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor, and how she stands in solidarity with large numbers of women who share her story that "who’ve been slurred as bigots for having concerns around single-sex spaces." That vulnerability has allowed her to sympathize with the trans community, who have a disproportionally high rate of death compared to other members of the queer community.
"I believe the majority of trans-identified people not only pose zero threat to others," she writes, "but are vulnerable for all the reasons I’ve outlined. Trans people need and deserve protection. Like women, they’re most likely to be killed by sexual partners. Trans women who work in the sex industry, particularly trans women of colour, are at particular risk. Like every other domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor I know, I feel nothing but empathy and solidarity with trans women who’ve been abused by men."
Rowling explained that reading the aforementioned article sent her into a dark place, reminding her of the sexual assault she experienced. Her memory of men "capitalising on an opportunity" made her fear for those who could undergo the same today. When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman," she wrote, "then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside. That is the simple truth."
Rowling's comments sparked an outcry, with criticism coming from LGBTQ+ organizations such as GLAAD all the way to actors Eddie Redmayne and Daniel Radcliffe. The latter even penned a letter for The Trevor Project, vehemently defending the trans community.
In response to the blowback, Rowling wrote, "I refuse to bow down to a movement that I believe is doing demonstrable harm in seeking to erode ‘woman’ as a political and biological class and offering cover to predators like few before it. I stand alongside the brave women and men, gay, straight and trans, who’re standing up for freedom of speech and thought, and for the rights and safety of some of the most vulnerable in our society: young gay kids, fragile teenagers, and women who’re reliant on and wish to retain their single sex spaces."
Despite her adamancy, Rowling ended her essay with a call for empathy for her and the other women who share her views. "All I’m asking -- all I want -- is for similar empathy, similar understanding, to be extended to the many millions of women whose sole crime is wanting their concerns to be heard without receiving threats and abuse."
Rowling is currently writing the third Fantastic Beasts film, set to debut next year.