J K Rowling

[GrumpyCatLives]

J K Rowling now follows Magdalen Berns on Twitter!

This is amazing. Rowling is one of the only people that could end this madness easily.

The thing is, though, she had t actually expressed any opinions at all on gender stuff. So she’s done nothing wrong. So they can accuse (in a thought-crime way) as much as possible but that’s not going to worry her.

Harry Potter will keep going - it’s a children’s classic now. Average parents of kids the right age to read them are a) going to be unaware of JK’s views on gender and b) not care anyway.

Millennial fans will either a) vow to boycott her (ah well, they’ve already spent their money) it b) not care (nostalgia etc).

Her Strike series crime readers are a totally different demographic.

So I don’t think it’ll matter much, really.

I saw TRAs whinging about this yesterday.

She's now a 'mediocre writer' according to some. Shakespeare would be a 'mediocre writer ' if he was alive today and gender critical.

Honestly, the very worst thing about all this TERF bullshit is the way it draws the attention away from other discrimination against women.

That list on the Twitter thread of “trash fire transphobics” is full of campaigning women who speak up on all sorts of feminist issues. But they won’t see that.

the patriarchy really has done a number on them, hasn't it?

I'm a bit wtf by the guy claiming that JK is "at the centre" of the gender critical movement in Scotland.

By liking and following on Twitter and saying absolutely nothing herself? Strange way to be at the centre of a movement.

It's the every-day women who have done the grunt work, who have brought this issue mainstream, who have risked livelihoods, safety, reputation and comfort for the well-being of women and children everywhere.

Whilst it's good she is obviously GC, we are the ones who will win this war. All of us, together. No one person can do it, no matter how famous or rich. It isn't possible.

Maybe he thinks she's the leader of a shadowy coven of Scottish terves, controlling them all behind the scenes.

I'm not in Scotland myself, can any Scottish mumsnetters confirm - are you getting secret orders from JK Rowling on how to combat changes to the GRA?

I think that people who think being openly GC won't affect her must live in a city bigger than Edinburgh, with more anonymity, or a small village with only a few people transitioning.

In Edinburgh there are enough TRAs for a movement, they have influence and power. There are also quite a lot of them in the quidditch teams, from what I've seen. You'd not want to be guessing any pronouns at a quidditch tournament.

The person who went for Julie Bindel wasn't a lone wolf, look at accounts of Edinburgh pride. JKR would be more aggressively targeted as they would actually feel betrayed by her, having first been fans. Edinburgh is small enough that people, not even fans, know her area, school choices etc.

She is extremely vulnerable in her real life, not her book sale life or her Twitter life, but her real life and family life. We need to remember that. She had to move house in the last couple of years to reduce security fears, this kind of celebrity is something we can't really understand.

Also, subtlety, getting people to think about the idea of being transabled, especially from the perspective of an amputee who was being fetishised, is a lot more than most people have done.

We shouldn’t be too critical of JK, or any other GC people for that matter. The GC movement is not a cult. We do not need to unanimously agree on everything.

What I can’t understand is why people want to call attention to who she follows knowing full well it’ll call down a whole heap of abuse on her head. What’s the motivation?

Frankly, with all her money and power, she could stick her neck out a bit more.

Where are the rich, powerful women willing to take one for the team? I'm sure she'd be able to change a few minds since she's wildly popular with the blue haired tumblr crowd.

People don't have to agree with an account to follow it - (I follow Julia Hartley-Brewer and 90% of what she says will wind me up. Yes I am a masochist...)

But I'd be astonished in JKR wasn't at least a bit gender critical because she's always been quite carefully thoughtful with regard to issues and not just swayed by the mob or what's fashionable.

But whatever her opinion, that's her business and pile-ons just make those piling on look ridiculous.

I don't see that it will make a huge difference but I think there is something to be said for numbers of people who are thought to be reasonable and kind being public with their view.

She is insulated in the sense that she really doesn't need to sell more books. I don't really like the HP books but they are certainly extremely popular.

There is a tedious moralising tag group I see on some FB groups I'm in. I shall now rework it slightly for people like that twitter stalker:

"Transphobia activism is boring, why are you so boring"

She doesn’t live in Edinburgh any more

There is an idiot on twitter going through her tweets and flagging who she follows

Ffs get a life that person and go live your life instead of wanking about on twitter caring who someone you don’t even know follows

Jeez get a life and perhaps a job. Do something enjoyable and enjoy your life
Play a sport read a book. Do something that gives you joy and pleasure not wanking about on Twitter ffs

I don't follow Berns, but her anti-Soros tweet meant that I'll probably never will.

Your loss GrumpyGran8!

I'm well aware of how anti-semites on both the right and the left, use criticism of Soros as a dog whistle. We should all be aware of that and exercise caution accordingly.

That's not a good reason for placing Soros and OSF above criticism. That would be extremely dangerous. Nobody and no organisation should be above criticism.

I don't know what kind of pro-trans groups his Open Society Foundation has funded ...

Here you go, it's a long read but very good:

medium.com/@sue.donym1984/inauthentic-selves-the-modern-lgbtq-movement-is-run-by-philanthropic-astroturf-and-based-on-junk-d08eb6aa1a4b

What we need her to do is retweet some of Magdalen's videos.
She has millions of followers.
Even if only a tiny percentage of them saw that one of the transwomen with a beard claiming to be a lesbian it would be amazing

Hmm, I await the next statemnt by her PR person stating it was a mistake, like the last time (think it happened twice, from memory?)

Either way, more and more women daring to have opinions again is heartening

And she follows Glosswitch, one of the most talented, easy-to-read writers on this subject.

And a few others. All good stuff, she's keeping her mind open.

Actually, I've just done a quick scan (that makes me feel grubby) and she follows LOTS of GC people.

This makes me happy 😁

She definitely subscribed to maddona/whore for women in the books.

Really? Struggling to place any ‘whore’ characters in any of the Harry Potter books?!?!?

I don't follow Berns, but her anti-Soros tweet meant that I'll probably never will. Attacks on Soros are used by the hard right, especially in America, as a cover for anti-semitism, and anybody with a functioning brain should have already known that.

Anti-semitism is unacceptable (and one of the reasons i’m not currently a Labour Party member). But criticising someone you would criticise for something you would criticise anyone else for doing isn’t anti Semitic.

I follow Donald Trump! I suspect JR is GC though, most women who engage their brains on the issue are, and once the TRAs start attacking they then just confirm women in their views, as they no longer look like delicate flowers who will kill themselves if you use the "wrong" pronoun but nasty misogynists.

Burns is really good on the trans issue, but she is reflexively anti-American and yes, possibly anti-Semitic, in that lefty way. Still, she says some important things that need to be said.

Why do you think that Berns is anti-Semitic? Never seen her talk about anything like that.

It's good that a famous well-liked woman like Rowling follows gc feminists but if she actually tweeted about it, now that would be great.