Can't believe I'm writing this, but disappointed in JK today

[RobynMiller]

I know she is just one person but her tweets today are really undermining the whole GC argument.

Link: https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/2046948644373274709

'Nothing's changed. I was being honest about how I feel about an individual trans woman I know, who was a gay man pre-transition, and who I met for the first time post-transition. Objectively speaking, she has physical characteristics that make it fairly obvious she wasn't born female, but she's a gentle, funny person I've never referred to as anything other than 'she' and 'her'. I find it perfectly easy to reconcile my fond feelings towards her, and my experience of her as someone with very female-coded energy, with a belief that she hasn't literally changed sex (and incidentally, she doesn't believe she's literally changed sex, either).'

Basically, someone asked her about the trans identified male she mentioned in her 2020 essay and this was her response.

Does she not realise there can be NO EXCEPTIONS? Give an inch they'll take a mile and all that. It doesn't matter that he is gentle and funny or that he has very female-coded energy whatever the hell that means.

This does make it seem like when she calls TIMs out she is now doing it maliciously as she is perfectly happy to play pretend if she likes them enough.

Just so frustrating as it basically says that 'we could all play along with TRAs just fine and are choosing not to because we're such meanies 😡'

As I already said, if I pass a man dressed as a woman in the street for half a second, I might not "clock" him (or even notice him). But, if you truly believe that biological men claiming to be women can't be recognised after basic interaction, then you're very naive. Aside from the fact that most trans-identified males don't even bother with much "transitioning" beyond getting some boobs and wearing a wig and makeup, and they are still very manly, just a basic conversation about some of the most significant things to humans - family, relationships, health, childhood, aspirations, bodies - will reveal that they are not women.

Under the clothes, they are still very identifiable as the biological men they are.

Yeah, right, there are some very tall women and some women with slim hips (myself, for example), but they are still identifiable as women - because they are women.

Are you suggesting that India Willoughby is really a bloke? Even Anne Widdecombe thinks he passes for a woman! (/s in case you didn't get it)

I'm laughing at the idea that I've met all these biological men dressed as women and I never even realised it. I've met numerous trans-identified men (and trans-identified women) and it's pretty obvious with all of them.

Claudia still sounds male despite what it seems was full surgical transition and I've never even clapped eyes on him. So this idea that you can't tell is a bit strange.

I feel bad for Claudia as it sounds as if Claudia regrets transition. I don't really understand, in that context, why Claudia still wants she/her pronouns.

It's not the crime of the century to use wrong-sex pronouns but it also is not without impact and harm when made such a big deal of to promote a book. The harms fall mostly on women without the privilege and power JB and JKR have. Women trapped in abusive (coercive control or more) marriages with TIMs or children of transitioners or working class women who don't have the power and privilege to choose their language and are still being threatened, bullied and harassed when they notice a bloke's a bloke (Jennifer Melle, other nurses and so on and I bet there are plenty of women who would never be able to mount any defence at all against their employer coercively controlling their speech and actions and forcing them to undress in front of paraphilic men).

I totally agree with you and cannot understand the argument you are policing language. That is a Humpty Dumpty position on use of language. I am surprised that JKR and her defenders cannot see it.

"Just so frustrating as it basically says that 'we could all play along with TRAs just fine and are choosing not to because we're such meanies 😡'"

Which is precisely the behaviour I and other transwomen have been subjected to here on MN.

I never thought I'd say it, but JK isn't wrong in this observation.

I never thought I'd say it, but JK isn't wrong in this observation.

You're treading a fine line. You may get cancelled, regardless.

I'll let your insult stand. It says more about you than about me.

The thing is that noticing when other people are lying is not 'policing language', it's just noticing that people are lying.

In general lying is seen to be bad. It can be argued that there are occasions where lying is 'kind' but where those lies help some people but negatively affect others then that can be questioned and is open to interpretation by anyone observing (kind to whom etc).

Personally, having watched Behind the Looking Glass () I don't think using she/her pronouns for men is an ok thing to do. I just think it's cruel to transwidows and children of transitioners. Other people may disagree, that's fine.

I personally would certainly recommend watching Behind the Looking Glass rather than buying Claudia's book. We've heard endlessly from all types of trans identified men (aside from the more obvious clues, it's another way you can tell they're men), there are hardly any places where you can hear from the women and children affected by men who transition.