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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

JKR Didn’t Have an Opinion. She Poisoned the Well

1000 replies

CSIRCP · 28/08/2025 14:32

This post will likely be a little too long for most, but if you can spare the time and have a cuppa handy let's sit down and have a chat, shall we?

Firstly, let’s stop calling this a debate. It’s not. This isn’t two sets of ideas clashing. This is one woman’s fear and confusion being weaponized against an entire community.

What J.K. Rowling has done is not just share an opinion. She’s poisoned the well. And that poison is spreading through politics, education, the media, and even the courts.

At the beginning, it might have looked like a tweet. Then a blog. But what she wrote in that essay was revealing: “If I’d been born thirty years later, I too might have tried to transition. The allure of escaping womanhood would have been huge.”
That’s not neutral. That’s projection. It was a confession, repackaged as concern. She projected her own dysphoria and personal battles onto the entire trans community and used it as the foundation for a movement built on suspicion and fear.

She said she cared about women’s rights. Then aligned herself with those who believe all trans women are predators.
She liked racist and Islamophobic tweets. She repeated antisemitic tropes. She cast activists as violent men in dresses. She accused anyone who challenged her of misogyny while branding herself the face of feminism.
All the while she built up a devoted audience that now includes some of the most extreme anti-trans voices in Britain and beyond.

This “gender critical” movement is not about safety, and it’s certainly not about truth. It’s about control.
Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull (Posie Parker), one of Rowling’s ideological allies, has welcomed neo-Nazis to her rallies. Actual Nazis. The kind of people Rowling once wrote villains about.
In one case, people connected to this movement were linked to the satanic terror group 764 — a group that has influenced teen suicides and violent attacks in UK schools. Let that sink in. This is who she’s empowering.

She didn’t just turn away when that started. She doubled down. She gave this movement a gloss of legitimacy. She used her fame to funnel people toward disinformation, fear, and cruelty—and dressed it all up as feminism. But it isn’t feminism when it excludes, vilifies, and harms other women. Especially trans women. Especially intersex people. Especially anyone who doesn’t fit into the narrow fantasy of who is acceptable.

Rowling’s language now echoes in government documents. Her phrases like “gender ideology” have been lifted from far right sources, including the Vatican and authoritarian regimes, and mainstreamed into British law. Her influence helped set the stage for the UK Supreme Court to redefine the word “woman” based on sex assigned at birth, stripping rights from trans and intersex people under the Equality Act. That’s what happens when the well is poisoned. People stop thinking. They start reacting.

Meanwhile, her cult chant her slogans as though they are scientific fact. But science says otherwise. Peer-reviewed studies show that trans people’s brain structures do not align with their sex assigned at birth. They show that gender identity forms in the womb, shaped by hormones and biology not ideology. Large-scale DNA studies have found gene variants linked to gender incongruence. And intersex people exist. That is biological fact. Not one of these truths can be erased by Rowling’s fiction.

What makes this so dangerous is how calm it all sounds. Rowling doesn’t scream. She whispers. She calls it “concern.” She says she’s “just asking questions.”
But it’s never neutral to question someone’s right to exist. It’s not a debate when one side is simply trying to live and the other is trying to strip away their legal recognition and healthcare.

This isn’t just a disagreement. This is a slow campaign of erasure, led by someone with a global platform and millions in the bank.

She’s not some deluded soul from MN; she’s a multi-millionaire author whose words shape global policy. She’s not being silenced. She’s being echoed by judges, by pundits, by politicians trying to climb the ladder by stepping on the backs of trans, non-binary, and intersex people.

And let’s not pretend it stops there. Her influence has allowed people to feel safe expressing open homophobia, biphobia, and hatred toward anyone who challenges gender norms. Some of the same people aligned with her have mocked survivors, denied racism, and claimed slavery was “fine” if it was “kind.”
This is not a group grounded in empathy. It’s a movement that thrives on exclusion and resentment. Some of them now openly identify as neo Nazis. That’s where we are.

So next time someone says “she’s just worried” or “she’s not anti-trans” or “can’t we just disagree,” consider these words. Show them what poison looks like. Not just hateful speech but the deliberate seeding of doubt, division, and cruelty, all wrapped in a soft voice and a smug smile. J.K. Rowling didn’t protect anyone. She infected people. And when she’s gone, her legacy won’t be literature it will be the damage she left behind.

You don’t need to cancel her. You just need to see her clearly.
And if you blindly follow Rowling and her ideas then you need to reflect on what you’re really endorsing.

Because ignorance is not an excuse. Not anymore.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
34
MistyGreenAndBlue · 28/08/2025 15:57

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:53

thrcddyin of woman depends on who defines it. We all have different definition and that’s just fine surely?

This is a case of: "you are entitled to your own opinion but you are not entitled to your own FACTS"
A woman is an adult human female - no more and no less. This is a FACT.

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:57

Once again I never said that.

I’m pointing out facts which you interpret and skew yourself.

here are facts:

  1. the majority of women in Norway support trans rights and self ID
  2. Norway has been voted the best country for women to live in 10 years in a row by the UN
  3. Norway is consistently in the top 10 happiest countries in the world to live in. The U.K. certainly is not.
  4. There are far few children and women living in puberty in Norway than the U.K.

all far more important than what the definition of woman is 😂

murasaki · 28/08/2025 15:57

BernardBlacksMolluscs · 28/08/2025 15:56

jesus wept

Ah come now, #bekind, it's hard to type when one hand is otherwise, er, engaged.

Igneococcus · 28/08/2025 15:57

ArabellaScott · 28/08/2025 15:53

Trans orcas are dolphins?

Orcas are dolphins despite that they are called killer whales.

MistyGreenAndBlue · 28/08/2025 15:58

SidewaysOtter · 28/08/2025 15:54

Yes, except she's hoarding them, to go by her picture above <pouts>

As for the marmite issue, won't it go a bit too gooey when it's warm?

That lovely yeasty smell mmmm

BeLemonNow · 28/08/2025 15:58

ArabellaScott · 28/08/2025 15:11

😂

"far right" - Bingo ! Am getting the hang of this forum 😌

SidewaysOtter · 28/08/2025 15:58

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:57

Once again I never said that.

I’m pointing out facts which you interpret and skew yourself.

here are facts:

  1. the majority of women in Norway support trans rights and self ID
  2. Norway has been voted the best country for women to live in 10 years in a row by the UN
  3. Norway is consistently in the top 10 happiest countries in the world to live in. The U.K. certainly is not.
  4. There are far few children and women living in puberty in Norway than the U.K.

all far more important than what the definition of woman is 😂

That's quite the typo there.

ImGoingUpstairsToTakeOffMyHat · 28/08/2025 15:58

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:42

Then indeed you know nothing about Norway or the rights of women there.

it seems when countries are successful with self ID you are unable to accept this and assume things which are wrong but fit your narrative.

Bless ❤️

Why WOTN you use the quote function? Who are you talking to?

YOU know nothing about Norway if you think self ID has universal support

Women in Norway don’t have rights, apparently they can’t even define “woman”. How can something that doesn’t exist have rights??

What makes Norway successful?

Greyskybluesky · 28/08/2025 15:58

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:57

Once again I never said that.

I’m pointing out facts which you interpret and skew yourself.

here are facts:

  1. the majority of women in Norway support trans rights and self ID
  2. Norway has been voted the best country for women to live in 10 years in a row by the UN
  3. Norway is consistently in the top 10 happiest countries in the world to live in. The U.K. certainly is not.
  4. There are far few children and women living in puberty in Norway than the U.K.

all far more important than what the definition of woman is 😂

See, if anyone can be a "woman" then all this is meaningless

Love the "puberty" typo tho'

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:59

Incorrect. Even if you look at different dictionaries they all have different opinions.

That is not a fact in many countries and none where self ID exists.

in those countries a transwoman is seen as a woman.

im sorry but yours is just an opinion and that’s just fine - but it is not a fact I’m afraid

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:59

😂😂😂poverty I meant .

SionnachRuadh · 28/08/2025 15:59

BernardBlacksMolluscs · 28/08/2025 15:54

Is Norway a salty liquorice sort of place, or is that Finland? Basically if salty liquorice is involved I’m interested, otherwise not so much

Finland is the salty liquorice place. I don't know much about Norway except every Swede I've ever met loves to take the piss out of Norwegians. People think Sweden is a country with no sense of humour, but just get it started on the subject of Norway.

nutmeg7 · 28/08/2025 15:59

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:43

I am in my mid 30s . The 16 and babes are related to something else.

I do find in the U.K. since I have been here that almost all the Gender Critical women are much older second wave feminists.

Oooh how terrible, OLD women.
Well they don't count then.

Or perhaps we had to fight for things like maternity leave, equal pay, and not being sexually assaulted casually at work, or in the street. Or for rape crisis centres to even exist. Perhaps we understand the value of women's female only spaces.

Perhaps we have more experience of life and how some men are abusive, and some have paraphilias.

Perhaps we have more self-respect for our own boundaries, and don't want to make ourselves doormats for any men who are unhappy and think that presenting as their idea of a woman will help.

Perhaps we remember that everyone used to be aware that voyeurism, stealing underwear, and men dressing in female fetish wear were male paraphilias.
We remember when it was understood that exhibitionism and flashing and breaching women's boundaries were gateway sexual offences that usually escalated.

Perhaps we're not so easily persuaded to "be kind" when we understand very well that not all men in dresses are doing this for harmless reasons. And there is no way to tell the difference between a gay transexual and a fetishistic heterosexual transvestite in any legal sense. They are all male.

Perhaps we have done a lot of reading, educated ourselves, and come to a clear understanding that this is all the emperor's new clothes, and no-one can change sex. "Gender" as an inner feeling is unverifiable, it's something you believe in, but we don't.

We spent our campaigning years aiming to get rid of gender-stereotyped boxes so that each sex can be a wide range of things. And now you want to put everyone into boxes labelled with "gender" according to how they present. It is SO regressive.

murasaki · 28/08/2025 15:59

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:57

Once again I never said that.

I’m pointing out facts which you interpret and skew yourself.

here are facts:

  1. the majority of women in Norway support trans rights and self ID
  2. Norway has been voted the best country for women to live in 10 years in a row by the UN
  3. Norway is consistently in the top 10 happiest countries in the world to live in. The U.K. certainly is not.
  4. There are far few children and women living in puberty in Norway than the U.K.

all far more important than what the definition of woman is 😂

Would that be the same UN that received over 700 accusations of sexual exploitation and assault by staff in 2024?

Also, did you really mean puberty in point 4????

pontefractals · 28/08/2025 16:00

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:53

thrcddyin of woman depends on who defines it. We all have different definition and that’s just fine surely?

No, us all having different definitions is not fine, not for the purposes of law and policy.
How could it be? Imagine if, say, I define "violence" as "anything that people might say or do that makes me sad" and you define it as "actions deliberately taken by one person that cause physical harm to another person". How could we make laws around that and have both of us agree? Words and meanings MATTER. If the definition of "woman" isn't important, why are these men so desperate to say they are included within it?

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 16:00

Universal support? Nothing had universal support. Racists exist, homophobic people, misogynists, misandrists, anti trans etc.

The majority support self ID in Norway. Please educate yourself

ImGoingUpstairsToTakeOffMyHat · 28/08/2025 16:00

I don’t think “success” looks like a child having to hear her two rapists, who raped her with their penises being referred to as women and having their feelings put first?

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 16:01

It matters to you and your group but to most people other things matter far more

Merrymouse · 28/08/2025 16:01

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:43

I am in my mid 30s . The 16 and babes are related to something else.

I do find in the U.K. since I have been here that almost all the Gender Critical women are much older second wave feminists.

You're not wrong.

The appeal of being a 'cool girl' does tend to wear off after you realise that no amount of 'girl power' negates the need for maternity leave, anti-discrimination legislation, sex specific health care, access to abortion and contraception - sex based rights.

After a few years it's more likely that you might understand why some women depend on single sex spaces, and you are less likely to give any fucks when men are upset because women draw boundaries.

I'm not sure what happens to women in prisons or women in rape crisis centres in Norway - whether they have any right to single sex provision. I appreciate these groups are small compared to the rest of the population, so you might think their treatment doesn't make much difference. However, we tend to take a different view on Terf Island.

Boiledbeetle · 28/08/2025 16:02

NoWordForFluffy · 28/08/2025 15:48

I have a form of burlesque image in my head...Ferrero Rocher cups as nipple tassle holders! 🤷‍♀️🤣

Unsurprisingly Co Pilot wouldn't play ball on that image request.

nutmeg7 · 28/08/2025 16:02

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:53

thrcddyin of woman depends on who defines it. We all have different definition and that’s just fine surely?

thrcddyin ?

sanluca · 28/08/2025 16:03

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:35

Why is the definition orca woman so important to you? To different people it has different meanings. In Norway and most Scandinavian countries we may have a different viewpoint to TERFs.

I cannot understand your obsession with this point. As a feminist I’m more concerned about women’s rights. In Norway it’s excellent.

What are womens rights in your opinion? I am really curious if you think woman means person of either sex

MistyGreenAndBlue · 28/08/2025 16:03

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:57

Once again I never said that.

I’m pointing out facts which you interpret and skew yourself.

here are facts:

  1. the majority of women in Norway support trans rights and self ID
  2. Norway has been voted the best country for women to live in 10 years in a row by the UN
  3. Norway is consistently in the top 10 happiest countries in the world to live in. The U.K. certainly is not.
  4. There are far few children and women living in puberty in Norway than the U.K.

all far more important than what the definition of woman is 😂

In puberty? Yes I can believe that. Unfortunately.

ArabellaScott · 28/08/2025 16:03

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:59

Incorrect. Even if you look at different dictionaries they all have different opinions.

That is not a fact in many countries and none where self ID exists.

in those countries a transwoman is seen as a woman.

im sorry but yours is just an opinion and that’s just fine - but it is not a fact I’m afraid

Here's ChatGPT's definition:

Woman (n.)

A multidimensional entity woven from bad puns, semi-sentient marmite, and quantum affection. Often mistaken for a dolphin, the woman is actually a vessel for interstellar diplomacy between foil hat civilizations and the Great Cosmic Cat of Mild Disapproval. She moves through time sideways, communicating via telepathic bursts of intuition, synchronized eye-rolls, and the subtle clink of existential bangles.

Her ceremonial armour consists of sequined bathrobes, misplaced to-do lists, and emergency nipple pasties made from artisanal cheese wrappers and hope. On Tuesdays, she transmutes raw emotion into sourdough and recharges by absorbing moonlight filtered through tin foil curtains. Her tears can summon rain, cancel plans, or unlock ancestral memories in nearby pigeons.

SingleSexSpacesInSchools · 28/08/2025 16:03

Sammybabes16 · 28/08/2025 15:57

Once again I never said that.

I’m pointing out facts which you interpret and skew yourself.

here are facts:

  1. the majority of women in Norway support trans rights and self ID
  2. Norway has been voted the best country for women to live in 10 years in a row by the UN
  3. Norway is consistently in the top 10 happiest countries in the world to live in. The U.K. certainly is not.
  4. There are far few children and women living in puberty in Norway than the U.K.

all far more important than what the definition of woman is 😂

Hello :)
Claim: “Most women in Norway support trans rights and self ID.”
Reply: Even if that were true, UK women’s sex-based rights are not decided by a popularity poll in another country. Rights exist in law to protect boundaries where sex matters, regardless of current fashion or social pressure. Also, polling headlines often bundle soft questions about kindness or ID paperwork with hard questions about access to single-sex spaces. Those are not the same thing. Norway does have legal self-ID for documents since 2016, but that does not settle UK safeguarding.

Claim: “Norway has been voted best country for women by the UN for 10 years.”
Reply: There is no UN “vote” like that. The widely cited Women, Peace and Security Index has Denmark at number 1 in 2023, not Norway. Norway ranks high, but the claim as stated is wrong.

Claim: “Norway is one of the happiest countries, the UK is not.”
Reply: The World Happiness Report ranks several Nordics high most years. That measures life evaluation, not whether male people should enter female-only spaces on demand. Happiness scores do not adjudicate safeguarding.

Claim: “There is far less women’s and child poverty in Norway.”
Reply: Cross-country poverty stats vary by metric and year, and social posts often garble them. UNICEF has actually flagged a sharp rise in child poverty in Norway from 2014 to 2021. Fact-checkers have also called out viral UK-vs-Nordic comparisons for using outdated or wrong figures. Either way, none of this requires UK women to surrender single-sex rights.

Claim: “Norway shows self ID works, so the UK should copy it.”
Reply: Norway’s 2016 self-ID law lets people change the legal marker from age 16, and 6 to 16 with parental consent. That is about paperwork. It does not magically erase sex or remove the need for sex-based boundaries in prisons, refuges, changing rooms, sport and data. Even the Norwegian government’s own plan says challenges remain for LGBT people, which means outcomes are mixed and context specific. Policy still needs careful, sex-aware design.

Point of principle: Women often “do not rock the boat”. Silence in workplaces and online is common because of social pressure and reputational risk. Silence is not consent. Boundaries exist to protect those who feel least able to speak.

Bottom line: Nice country facts do not mean UK women should give up sex-based rights. Safeguarding is about material reality and risk, not vibes from another country’s rankings. Keep kindness for individuals, keep clear, lawful single-sex boundaries for places where sex matters.

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