To think JK Rowling is a fabulous human being

[TheAdventuresoftheWishingChair]

I just came across her book, 'Very Good Lives' which is all about overcoming adversity. I think it's so important that successful women talk about the times they've failed and how success is about pushing past that. I'm reading it just at a time I need to hear that message. I can definitely recommend buying a copy if you are in need of a boost or have some pennies to spend on something nourishing.

I was also looking into her charity, Lumos, and I had no idea just how much she was trying to help disadvantaged children. I love that she's putting her money and position to good use.

The term 'national treasure' generally makes me want to poke my own eyeballs out with a rusty kitchen utensil but AIBU to say she is an utter treasure and we are lucky to have her. She makes the world a better place.

That's all!

She is wonderful for the reasons given and it is deeply concerning anyone is ignorant and small minded enough to find what she said controversial.

It is laughable to accuse J. K. Rowling of being antisemitic on the basis of the goblin bankers. I think that reflects @zscaler's own prejudices and her comment to that effect is bordering on antisemitic. I haven't reported it because it's important to let people see for themselves how baseless this accusation is.

Also striking that despite the existence of all these different sexes, it has proved so easy to identify exactly which sex shouldn't be allowed to vote, drive cars, have a separate legal identity or access an education.

THIS with bells on!!!

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

Love JKR.

@SpokeTooSoon

Oh and apparently transmisogyny has entered the lexicon. 🙄

So is that misogyny against women perpetrated by trans people ?

Or

Is that predjudice against trans people identifying as women?

Trans misogyny - the misogyny inherent in the trans movement.

That’s the meaning I feels in my head.

I don’t hero worship JK Rowling. But my kids have read all her books and watched all her films. It makes me laugh that some people accuse her of appropriating Native American culture yet how many times have you heard trans people appropriating the term and idea of ‘two-spirit’ people and getting (quite rightly slammed for it) I digress.

You can actually like JKR without having read a word of her books. Her story of fighting rejection, writing as a single-mum, her amazing donations to MS research after watching her own mother suffer and die from it, the Lumos charity and then this.., actually coming out and speaking some truths about women and women’s rights.

Why persist in this demonisation of her? I get that if you are trans, her beliefs might counter some of your own beliefs about yourself. But that doesn’t translate into ‘abhorrent’ behaviour or ‘hatred’. I think there is something quite strange about this over-reaction whenever somebody states that they believe TransWomen are TransWomen and not TransWomen are Women. What are you hearing? That someone saying this is going to come after you? I think this overreaction is particularly unhelpful when there are such young children believing they are trans - with their immature understanding it’s almost as if you’re trying to frighten them or keep them in a state of terror. Do you honestly think that your child being in the presence of JKR would be in a physically dangerous place? That they should genuinely be scared of what you believe to be her hatred of them? I think it’s ridiculous. Far better to be honest and say ‘some people don’t share our belief that you can change from a boy into a girl or vice versa’ but it doesn’t matter (to us) what they believe because everyone has different beliefs. They don’t hate you - they just believe something different and that doesn’t translate into hatred.

And the level of debate is woeful. The ‘I’ve had a hysterectomy does this mean I’m not a woman’ or ‘My periods stopped when I was 30, am I not a woman?’. That’s the equivalent level of ‘gotcha’ debate as ‘So is your toilet at home single sex then?’ Embarrassing when such inadequate levels of reasoning are said out loud or immortalised in writing.

Look at her tweets. Show me her abhorrent behaviour. Show me her hatred. You can’t. She simply is highlighting something that is going on out in the real world that some people either don’t know about or refuse to acknowledge or simply don’t care about - the gentle twisting and distortion of what it means to be born a female.

She’s not backing down. I admire her for that and I hope she knows that there’s a lot of people who share this admiration. (Must be fucking irritating having to deal with all the shit she’s getting though - hope she’s OK?)

Oops , "misogyny against women" . Sorry.

Oh, anti trans my arse . Quit your crap, now.

This transparent attempt to get people to unknowingly or knowingly praise someone who has just now openly stated her anti-trans stance is really gross

She said that "people" don't menstruate and that biological women do. She's right.

She’s not anti-trans.

She’s just speaking the truth and speaking up for women.

As a Jew, I have never once felt she is antisemitic, so am rather taken aback that some posters are accusing her of that.

I’ve never read any of her books, but follow her on Twitter as direct result of the fact she is pro-woman, and her wonderful tweet her posted standing with Maya Forstater. I have nothing but admiration for Jk Rowling, and now she’s been peaked, she refuses to tow the line and speaks the truth; that biological sex is immutable.

I can’t even believe it needs to be pointed out that being pro-women is not anti-trans. Also, let’s not forget, if the definition of women is eradicated, then all the things on the list pictured disappear.

Something to think about.

I still haven't heard an answer to this question:

If a woman is someone who identifies as a woman, what does the word "woman" actually mean?

It's circular logic. It's like when people say the Bible must be true because it says so in the Bible.

She’s a powerful woman, the word that seems to offend so many and I think she is absolutely amazing.
I’m so tired of successful women being a constant target on twitter/media. It wouldn’t happen to a prostate owner.

I love JK. She has integrity and courage. ... btw @zscaler it has emerged that Amber Heard was the perpetrator of domestic violence and Johnny Depp the victim

Before I heard of JK's Lumos charity, I honestly had no idea about the dark side of the "voluntourism" industry. I had never thought about it in depth, and just assumed that this sort of trip helps the recipients. It never occurred to me that it causes so much damage.

@IchbineinBerlinner I don't think @zscaler is interested in facts that get in the way of their narrative...they have also accused J. K. of antisemitism based on the portrayal of the goblin bankers in H. P.

@LivingasaWoman

I don’t hero worship JK Rowling. But my kids have read all her books and watched all her films. It makes me laugh that some people accuse her of appropriating Native American culture yet how many times have you heard trans people appropriating the term and idea of ‘two-spirit’ people and getting (quite rightly slammed for it) I digress.

You can actually like JKR without having read a word of her books. Her story of fighting rejection, writing as a single-mum, her amazing donations to MS research after watching her own mother suffer and die from it, the Lumos charity and then this.., actually coming out and speaking some truths about women and women’s rights.

Why persist in this demonisation of her? I get that if you are trans, her beliefs might counter some of your own beliefs about yourself. But that doesn’t translate into ‘abhorrent’ behaviour or ‘hatred’. I think there is something quite strange about this over-reaction whenever somebody states that they believe TransWomen are TransWomen and not TransWomen are Women. What are you hearing? That someone saying this is going to come after you? I think this overreaction is particularly unhelpful when there are such young children believing they are trans - with their immature understanding it’s almost as if you’re trying to frighten them or keep them in a state of terror. Do you honestly think that your child being in the presence of JKR would be in a physically dangerous place? That they should genuinely be scared of what you believe to be her hatred of them? I think it’s ridiculous. Far better to be honest and say ‘some people don’t share our belief that you can change from a boy into a girl or vice versa’ but it doesn’t matter (to us) what they believe because everyone has different beliefs. They don’t hate you - they just believe something different and that doesn’t translate into hatred.

And the level of debate is woeful. The ‘I’ve had a hysterectomy does this mean I’m not a woman’ or ‘My periods stopped when I was 30, am I not a woman?’. That’s the equivalent level of ‘gotcha’ debate as ‘So is your toilet at home single sex then?’ Embarrassing when such inadequate levels of reasoning are said out loud or immortalised in writing.

Look at her tweets. Show me her abhorrent behaviour. Show me her hatred. You can’t. She simply is highlighting something that is going on out in the real world that some people either don’t know about or refuse to acknowledge or simply don’t care about - the gentle twisting and distortion of what it means to be born a female.

She’s not backing down. I admire her for that and I hope she knows that there’s a lot of people who share this admiration. (Must be fucking irritating having to deal with all the shit she’s getting though - hope she’s OK?)

I thought these articles might help some of our “sex is a spectrum” friends. The second one is an archive of the original piece as it is behind a paywall.

quillette.com/2020/06/07/jk-rowling-is-right-sex-is-real-and-it-is-not-a-spectrum/

archive.is/puTGy

I stand with JK Rowling. Thank you, JK, thank you.

So many brilliant and articulate women on this thread, standing alongside the brilliantly articulate JK Rowling who is obviously as fed up with this nonsense and determination to eradicate women. More power to her elbow... and to ours. It's enough now.

Yes, I agree she is a fabulous human being.

Her writing has given, and my children, immense pleasure over the years. She also seems principled and enormously intelligent. Her HP books, for example have layers of historical and classical references throughout.

I agree that posters who suggest that her depiction of goblins is anti-semitic because of their noses are showing themselves to be believers in nasty racist stereotypes and should have a good look at themselves

I think the fact that people are saying JKR is anti trans, a transphobe etc, when all she has done is say that menstruation is done by women and has been really careful to say that she supports trans rights, but sex is real, shows how utterly incompatible with truth and commonsense, to say nothing of women's rights, the trans movement is.

Nothing but unconditional submission is acceptable to them.

Thank goodness for JKR. She's shown this movement up for what it is: irrational, testerical and woman-hating.

Excellent point re the appropriation of 'two spirit' by TRAs who are not Native American. If anyone wants to complain about JKR re Native Americans, in order to be taken remotely seriously they're going to have to be able to evidence their criticism of problematic behaviour from the TWAW lot. Otherwise it's simply hypocrisy.

She literally said sex is real and sex has consequences.

If you don’t agree with that you’re a fucking vile human being. Rank misogyny.

I think she's fantastic. She overcame depression and a difficult time of raising her child as a single mother to become a world famous author and billionaire to boot. She founded and contributed to numerous charities, and actually pays her taxes.

I do think that she could have done with being a bit more careful when expanding the lore of her works in regards to naming, etc, but I see that as more of a clumsy attempt to be more inclusive (and she can be a bit sloppy with details in her work overall).

As for the 'trans' stuff - I don't see what she's said that's problematic. Women menstruate. Men don't. She supports trans people's rights to live as they want, and their freedom from discrimination, but not if that involves discriminating against women by ignoring basic scientific fact.

You can get women who don't menstruate, but that's because of biological reasons (medical conditions, age).

Some transmen can menstruate because they're biologically female.

Some transwomen can't menstruate because they're biologically men.

The fact there are some people who feel that they fit outside of our binary biology doesn't alter the fact that we, as a species, do have a binary sex system. Yes, there are variations within that, but it's a tiny fraction of our species as a whole.

It's like saying that humans aren't bipeds, that we as species don't have two arms and two legs, because sometimes babies are born missing limbs, or people have amputations.