Stephen King on twitter today......

[rabbitwoman]

'If you didn't look closely, you'd believeper Uproxxthat I said J.K. Rowling's opinion on trans women is shitty and hateful. I didn't say that. The author, Josh Kurp said that. This is an editorial masquerading as information.'

Then he says:

'My opinion is that Jo Rowling is wrong about trans women. Leave shitty and hateful out of it, please.'

Now, he is entitled to that opinion ad has expressed it respectfully so that's fine.... But anyone else get the impression that he has not really understood what she wrote.

She wrote in her essay about abusive men, and how they will use self ID to abuse women.

She wrote about freedom of speech and shutting down women 's voices.

And women' s sports?

THOSE are the really important parts if the essay, Stephen. What's you opinion on that?

Reading the extracts from that interview with him really makes my teeth grind.

Hilary mantel defended jkr today, and condemned the treatment of her. In that interview in La Republica the interviewer wrote that margaret atwood had also defended jkr (she disagrees with her as we know) although I couldn't find the interview with atwood. Good if true. It should be possible for king to condemn the way jkr has been treated even if he disagrees on the issue, but he is so dismissive and belittling of the events, I find it disgusting. What an inadequate response.

Well done Stephen 😊

@Manderleyagain

It should be possible for king to condemn the way jkr has been treated even if he disagrees on the issue, but he is so dismissive and belittling of the events, I find it disgusting. What an inadequate response.

This is how I feel about his comments.

He may disagree with her opinion (although as someone else said, denying biological facts is more than a difference of opinion).

But to say what he has said, to not challenge some of the wording used by the interviewer, and to then not address the death and rape threats she has received (many under his name by his 'constant readers', he's shown himself to be cowardly, dismissive, and belittling of her and of all women and girls.

And it disgusts me that after he has used her in his latest book after failing her so badly.

He seems to have given little to no thought on the issue beyond a meaningless soundbite.

I wonder if he's going to be so sure of that stance now, as incidences such as Wi Spa and the subsequent revelations come to light?

There's another thread running which is about how politicians and celebrities are going to move forward from the comments they have made during this debate. This is one of the ways. 'I didn't say that'. 'I've been misrepresented'. 'A big boy did it and ran away'.

It's just a shame that this ferocious backpedaling will fire up the abuse against women (and some men) who have said perfectly reasonable, reality based statements.

He is a silly little man who writes bad books filled with mysogyny and salaciously described violence.