JK Rowling - beginner's guide

[SpookyPanda]

Hi was wondering if anyone had a link to a beginners guide to the whole jkrowling thing? From either/Both sides. I just need a simple summary really. Someone at work was chatting about it and she was getting into quite some detail but I couldn't follow it.

This was her essay: www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues/

Which was posted after she got piled on for a very moderately worded tweet in support of Maya Forstater. I am sure someone will be able to post an image of the tweet.

That’s it. The basis on which she was cancelled and deemed worse than Hitler. It’s really quite mind-boggling in retrospect.

To me it's as simple as this.

She supports womans rights.

So that means that she is incredibly transphobic.

Wanting to be safe and have single sex spaces that don't include males is the most heinous of crimes. So they despise her and her normal views. She is the devil reincarnate.

She took exception to the term people who menstruate. Saying I'm sure there used to be a word for those people wimbun, wombers? (something like that, I haven't got it to hand).

And then when Maya forstarter was discriminated against by her work, for saying that sex is real and that it matters, she tweeted in support of that.

"Dress however you please,
Call yourself whatever you like. Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you. Live your best life in peace and security. But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real? #IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotaDrill.”

She was then subjected to serious and never ending threats. The police had to get involved in one of them connected to a bomb. And she said she could wallpaper her entire house with the threats. Really quite disgusting things about punching her in the ovaries and more along those lines.

She was in the process of promoting her new book for children and asked parents on Twitter to submit their kids' pictures and she might pick some.

So a bunch of trans activists just posted pictures of their cocks and said she was unsuitable to work with children.

I believe her lawyers got involved over that particular smear.

TLDR: An uncancellable woman said no to men's demands and they let her have it.

She's still saying no.

You could do worse than just going back and reading her own tweets. That way you can make up your own mind about what she's said, without the hyperbole and misrepresentation.

She believes that biological men and women are different and that women have certain distinct needs and the needs of transwomen (those born male) are not always the same as biological women. To some people this is transphobic, but to the vast majority of people (and the Equality Act) it is basic common sense.

And yes, she decided that she could explain herself in black-and-white. Hence the essay upthread.

But none of it mattered, because unless you are 100% compliant to trans ideology, you're just a bigoted terf who deserves violence.

What's interesting is you can ask any transactivist to specifically copy and paste what she has said that is so wrong, and they can never, ever do it.

You could do worse than just going back and reading her own tweets. That way you can make up your own mind about what she's said, without the hyperbole and misrepresentation. that's a good idea I don't know why I didn't think of that! Was it all June 2020 (when article was written) that it "kicked off"?

I think the Maya Forstater thread was towards the end of 2019

It has been: 756 days : since we started the vigil to await anyone sharing a single thing JKR has ever said that is transphobic.

<sighs>
<huddles under picnic blanket>

Ok thank you. I've read her essay so thanks for pointing me to that one.

There's a lot of misinformation about what Maya said, which initially took me in, and makes Rowling look wrong.

So be careful, it's probably still out there.

This misinformation was wrong, I was wrong and Maya was vindicated.

But at least the proverbial crowd under that huge blanket is growing.

What's interesting is you can ask any transactivist to specifically copy and paste what she has said that is so wrong, and they can never, ever do it. that's the bit of the picture I'm missing now.

I think two things happened:
She was reading about the variety of issues on this subject. She liked a posted about it. The pile on for that, just one like, was intense and scary. She backed down but its a very unhappy place not being able to express worries/ thoughts/ concerns, especially when they are to do with human rights (women have these too, shockingly). Media outlets like Pink News actually ran stories about her LIKING a tweet. Insane bullies.

But then I think she felt she had to speak up for Maya Forstater when the initial hearing said understanding sex is real was not worthy of respect. Because biological sex IS REAL. So she, hugely bravely, spoke up with the truth. And the largest pile on in social media history started..... she held her head high, wrote her essay, and frankly is an inspiration to us all.

I wish all our leaders and politicians were as brave and thoughtful as Jo Rowling.

*liked a post

Can I join in if I bring cake and gin?

All cake/alcohol bearers are welcome under the blanket.

There are some long-winded essays on YouTube and elsewhere explaining why what she said is 'transphobic', but it pretty much boils down to whether you think female is a biological reality or a feeling in someone's head. Those two positions will never be reconciled.

I’ve seen responses to “What is it JKR said that’s transphobic, evil & bigoted?” range from the at least honest “I don’t know but everyone says so so there must be something in it” to “it’s all she ever does!” to “We’ve already given you the evidence!”

They haven’t.

That's rather unsurprising, to be perfectly honest. Ask for it. You can't ask us for it, obviously, we don't think it exists.

I suspect the most you will get is someone taking what she actually said, feeding through some linguistic gymnastics and coming out into what they want you to think she said.

(Jk has transwomen friends. She's pro women, not 'anti trans').

Thought this was the bit for discussing sex and gender? Sorry if I'm in the wrong bit of mumsnet. Anyway thank you everyone you've been most helpful. I shall try and watch someone on you tube try and explain why what she said was "wrong" the backlash seems so strong!

Here's a video that was sent to me at the time 'proving' that she was transphobic:

Also, Katy Montgomery and 'Gemma Stone' did some detailed articles on this I think from the trans activist perspective.

Good luck OP, please let us know what you think having researched both sides!

@LK1972 Thank you that's super helpful!

Please do read what she wrote and make up your own mind. A very strong narrative has been created that she is transphobic but it is important that people read what she has written and make up their own minds, rather than blindly accept a narrative created by other people.

There was that bloke that did an interminable gish-gallop on everything JK did wrong. And someone painstakingly examined each assertion. I'm afraid I can't remember his name ...

Andy? Andrew somebody?