To ask about JK Rowling - can someone tell me what happened?

[christmaspigeon]

Just that really. I like her. I like how she gives so much for charity and how she put Trump in his place, but I know people's views on her have changed. Something to do with trans comments?? Can someone explain (in really simple language!) what happened? Thank you!

She wrote about her experience of abuse which apparently was "weaponising" her abuse. Ie women must not talk about abuse by males because it's uncomfortable

She has a character in a book who dresses up as a woman when committing some offence. Which she must not mention,because although men pretending to be something they are not leads to lots of women being hurt, this is something we must never talk about

If its transphobic to say that you cannot change sex, that women need access to certain single sex spaces and that experimenting on children with unlicensed drugs is possibly not a good idea, then yes, she is totes transphobic. 1

I too would love to hear what these trans phobic comments were, last discussion I had with a JK hater said they had been deleted

@laPufalina

https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues/ have a read, it's an excellent piece of writing.

This.

Do her the courtesy of reading what she actually wrote, then engage your brain and make your own mind up.

@MrsGrindah well, I've learnt two very valuable pieces of information from this thread 1) A brief summary of the arguments 2) never ever ever bring up JK Rowling in conversation!

She showed the world how we cannot take the identity of women away by letting transgender women enter into women-only spaces, sports and research. She also showed this lot why it was hideously wrong to experiment on the bodies of young children and teens that caused irreparable damage and how parents were misled about all this for corporate benefits.
She knows how to write in the simplest possible way and yet explain very clearly the concepts or philosophy behind this incredibly rogue movement that is snatching the identity of women away.
She hit a nerve, refused to backdown and didn’t suffer any bad outcomes as a result of the counter-attack. For once I am proud of BBC for giving her this award and show their support in this way. We are getting there. Soooo getting there.

To paraphrase:

Some advert or similar said 'people who menstruate'

JKR: There's a word for people who menstruate, its called women.

TRAs: How dare you point out biology, you bigot!

Daniel Radcliffe: Transwomen are women. I'm so brilliant for making an irrelevant remark, this debate isn't even about transwomen as they cannot ever menstruate! Let me also completely ignore transmen, a few of whom do still have periods and then apologies on behalf of the woman who gave me my career/money for daring to have a valid opinion!

Hope that makes it clear for anyone who missed it .

She certainly is not transphobic. She is a strong feminist and I think she speaks uncomfortable truths. Some trans activists are extreme, and expect control over people's thoughts.

@HavelockVetinari I can certainly share some of the things I and others would consider transphobic, but I don’t expect you to share that view. I’m aware that her supporters tend to refute the premise that she has been transphobic at all.

Some examples would be the fact that she linked her Twitter followers to a shop selling anti-transgender items, such as badges that say “F**k your pronouns” and “Notorious Transphobe”. She compares hormone therapy to gay conversion therapy (especially odd given that she chose the name of a conversion therapy pioneer as her pen name). She took issue with the phrase ‘people who menstruate’ by insisting the word ‘women’ should be used instead, which denies the reality of trans men and is also insulting to women who don’t menstruate.

I totally accept that to many people, these actions don’t constitute transphobia. In my view they do, however. And combined with the other instances of problematic actions I mentioned above, it’s really made me reconsider my view of her (because I used to be an absolutely huge fan, and still have a huge amount of affection for the Harry Potter series despite the serious flaws I’m now aware of).

‘Transphobic comments’ - can you link some?

Robert Galbraith - she explained back in 2013 how she chose her pen name (Robert for Kennedy, a hero of hers, and Galbraith for a childhood dream of hers to be called that)

Retconning Harry Potter for diversity - same can be said of any film/TV/stage adaptations. Racial insensitivity- yes, perhaps in regard to the bankers, but honestly it’s a bit tenuous.

Johnny Depp - she’s not the only woman who’s supported him. Just pretty much the only one who’s being hung out to dry for her support.

OP, there’s a reason no one’s giving you an easy ‘summary’ because if you found her own explanation of the background to be ‘too much information’ then it’s a bit pointless, isn’t it?

[quote Gardeniaofdelights]@HavelockVetinari I can certainly share some of the things I and others would consider transphobic, but I don’t expect you to share that view. I’m aware that her supporters tend to refute the premise that she has been transphobic at all.

Some examples would be the fact that she linked her Twitter followers to a shop selling anti-transgender items, such as badges that say “F**k your pronouns” and “Notorious Transphobe”. She compares hormone therapy to gay conversion therapy (especially odd given that she chose the name of a conversion therapy pioneer as her pen name). She took issue with the phrase ‘people who menstruate’ by insisting the word ‘women’ should be used instead, which denies the reality of trans men and is also insulting to women who don’t menstruate.

I totally accept that to many people, these actions don’t constitute transphobia. In my view they do, however. And combined with the other instances of problematic actions I mentioned above, it’s really made me reconsider my view of her (because I used to be an absolutely huge fan, and still have a huge amount of affection for the Harry Potter series despite the serious flaws I’m now aware of).[/quote]
Really? This is your proof that she is a trans phobe? Why am I so disappointed at being disappointed by your side al the time?
No wonder you are losing it in every court of law.

She showed the world how we cannot take the identity of women away by letting transgender women enter into women-only spaces, sports and research. She also showed this lot why it was hideously wrong to experiment on the bodies of young children and teens that caused irreparable damage and how parents were misled about all this for corporate benefits.
She knows how to write in the simplest possible way and yet explain very clearly the concepts or philosophy behind this incredibly rogue movement that is snatching the identity of women away.
She hit a nerve, refused to backdown and didn’t suffer any bad outcomes as a result of the counter-attack. For once I am proud of BBC for giving her this award and show their support in this way. We are getting there. Soooo getting there.

Excellent summary.

For the PP saying about R Galbraith being the name of a gay conversion therapist....as if this is some sort of dog whistle homophobia from JKR......you do realise that trans rights activists are often incredibly homophobic? Lesbians being told that expressing a genital preference (as in not wanting to have sex with a trans woman with a penis) is transphobic? Transing teen girls cos it's better to be a boy than a lesbian?

"Hormone therapy"? Do you mean putting kids on puberty blockers and cross sex hormones which can have lifelong consequences such as infertility and reduced sexual function?

She’s made a series of transphobic comments.
See all the other comments on this thread and read what she actually wrote to see if you believe this is true. I don't.

There are other things too (using the name of a pioneer of gay conversion therapy as her pen name,
This has been completely debunked. It's not true.

racial insensitivity in some parts of the Harry Potter series
Really? What parts? Can you give examples.

vocal support for Johnny Depp after it emerged that he had assaulted his wife,
Yup, I'll give you this one, it was disappointing. Doesn't make her a terrible person, most people were doing that at the time and there wasn't a huge amount of evidence against him at the time. Still disappointing in my view.

retconning diversity into Harry Potter for credit
Well ... it would have been better if she'd been more explicit about Dumbledore being gay in the series, but a lot of books of the period, and even now, are not that diverse.

but the most prominent criticism is the transphobia.
Yes, so see if you think there's anything in that.

Against that are the millions of pounds and constant effort over decades that she's put into important causes, including support for abused women and disadvantaged communities.

But yeah, the fact that she thinks women should have access to single-sex spaces means you should hate her and never talk about her.

I'm a women that doesn't menstruate and I find it extremely offensive that certain groups are trying to erase the word woman. ONLY women menstruate but not ALL women menstruate. It's not hard to grasp.

She took issue with the phrase ‘people who menstruate’ by insisting the word ‘women’ should be used instead, which denies the reality of trans men and is also insulting to women who don’t menstruate.

Absolute idiocy that people don't have an issue with "people who menstruate" "cervix havvers" "vulva owners" and all that other reductive shit

"Women" does not "deny the reality of trans men"

She took issue with the phrase ‘people who menstruate’ by insisting the word ‘women’ should be used instead, which denies the reality of trans men and is also insulting to women who don’t menstruate.

Yet oddly, when it all kicked off it was 'transwomen are women'tgat was trending, nothing about transmen. How does one menstruate without a female biology by the way? How is it insulting to biological women who don't menstruate? Or is this another 'fact' decided by trans rights activists without any proof? Like they decided intersex people are the third sex as well?

She compares hormone therapy to gay conversion therapy (especially odd given that she chose the name of a conversion therapy pioneer as her pen name).

So you do think that prescribing children unlicensed drugs, the side effects of which there is no available concrete data (despite being used 30 years with no problems apparently ) and are likely to included bone problems and stunted brain development, a good idea then? And that being against that is the same as being against gay conversion therapy?

She took issue with the phrase ‘people who menstruate’ by insisting the word ‘women’ should be used instead, which denies the reality of trans men and is also insulting to women who don’t menstruate.

Only women menstruate. Trans men who menstruate do so because they are women. If they were actually men, they wouldn't menstruate. Women who don't menstruate are still women, unless you are saying that when my periods stopped due to chemotherapy I ceased to be a woman for that period of time?

Women are taking issue with the erasure of the word 'woman' from everything? Do you have a problem with Prostate Cancer UK using the word MEN on all of their literature and ad campaigns? Have you written to them to complain about how that 'denies the reality of transwomen'?

Women and girls that should be.

Someone linked to a shop that also sold things that people find offensive. How outrageous.
There are millions of reasons why she chose a pen name - prove that was why? I’m presuming your pen name is a pun on Garden of Delights, I’m sure I could manage to be offended by that if I tried hard enough.

As far as using women rather than the dehumanising people who menstruate, well that’s your choice. It’s not mine, it’s clearly not J K Rowling’s.

No one has the right to not be offended, that appears to be have been forgotten.

She had a personal opinion and the woke snowflakes didn’t like her opinion. It’s ridiculous.

@laPufalina

https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues/ have a read, it's an excellent piece of writing.

Thank you for posting this. I’ve always admired JK Rowling, even more so after reading this

Regarding the hormones for children.

The Keira Bell case recently concluded, although bound to be another round.

And basically there should be a lot more oversight before such treatment is given to children , and as a rule of thumb, children are not capable to choosing to follow that path.

As a person who has previously experienced gender /sexuality dysmorphia, I feel that the current hormone and surgery treatment of children is actually a conversion process. Funny how suggesting that we should not change someone is called "conversion therapy" by others

Funny how JK Rowling is so awful for linking to a shop selling certain things, but Etsy selling badges and patches saying stuff like 'PUNCH A TERF' etc is A-OK?

Is this going back to the thing about words being 'literal violence' but threats of actual physical violence being OK?

@Gardeniaofdelights

She’s made a series of transphobic comments. There are other things too (using the name of a pioneer of gay conversion therapy as her pen name, racial insensitivity in some parts of the Harry Potter series, vocal support for Johnny Depp after it emerged that he had assaulted his wife, retconning diversity into Harry Potter for credit) but the most prominent criticism is the transphobia.

She absolutely hasn't made a series of transphobic comments. The pen name thing is utter rubbish. The comments about racial insensitivity have mysteriously only begun since she spoke out about the need to protect women and children.