An Essay Where I Show Exactly One Example of JK Rowling Displaying Transphobia
If you’re reading this, you may have asked myself or someone else, “What has J.K. Rowling done or said that is specifically transphobic?” I was confronted with this inquiry recently, and I’ve learned from experience that articulating my case on this topic is challenging for several personal reasons. While i don’t advertise it, I am a member of the LGBT community, lending a personal stake to this conversation. I wish to be effective if i am speaking on behalf of a community. Moreover, as an aging social justice warrior, I find myself outmatched by the eloquence of these young millennials on the debate floor.
Before delving into any instances of transphobia, it is necessary to establish a universally agreeable definition of the term. While there might exist examples I consider transphobic that others may not, let’s consider one. In a tweet, she expressed her admiration for Matt Walsh’s slimy propaganda piece, “What is A Woman.”
Matt is a trans eliminationist; He claims it’s not trans people he opposes but rather trans “Ideology,” which encompasses the very existence of trans people. Some might see his work as a brilliant documentary, an embodiment of free speech. Her support of this film isn’t itself the problem, the fact that she has fourteen million followers is. To proceed, I’ll adopt a simple definition of transphobia, focusing on one example of Joanne displaying it. For the scope of this essay, transphobia denotes a fear or aversion towards trans individuals.
So, what unequivocally transphobic statement did Joanne make? In 2023 JK Rowling appeared on a podcast titled The Witch Trials of JK Rowling. The host of the podcast was Meghan Phelps Roper, a former member of the Westboro Baptist Church. Meghan is a survivor of a cult. If you are unfamiliar with her family, there were the ones picketing dead soldiers funerals during the 90s. She likened trans people to Death Eaters. For those unfamiliar with the Harry Potter series, Death Eaters were fascist sorcerers so malevolent that the heroes of the saga found it necessary to imprison them in a torturous facility. I should clarify before a magical defamation letter flies under my door. She said trans ACTIVISTS are like death eaters. Her reasoning is so thin as to almost be laughable.
“I’m constantly told that I have betrayed my own books, but my position is that I’m absolutely upholding the positions that I took in Potter,” Rowling said. “My position is that this activist movement in the form that it’s currently taking, echoes the very thing that I was warning against in Harry Potter. I would say that some of you have not understood the books. The Death Eaters claimed, ‘We have been made to live in secret, and now is our time, and any who stand in our way must be destroyed. If you disagree with us, you must die.’ They demonized and dehumanized those who were not like them”
There you have it. Exactly one instance of Joanne Rowling displaying transphobia. Now, Please don’t move the goalpost; my sciatica is killing me.
If you don’t see this as transphobic I don’t think there is much that you will. I highly recommend you give the podcast a pass, it’s 7 hours long and Joanne is never really confronted with any difficult questions about her activism. Only one episode is given over to her critics and no direct confrontation is ever presented. Joanne gets 6 hours of softball before handing the mic to her critics for 1 hour and 12 minutes out of the entire 7 hours.
This topic is extensively explored in Contrapoints’ video <The Witch Trails of J.K. Rowling>, as well as Caelan Conrad’s video <The ALLEGED Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling (What The Megan Phelps Podcast Won’t Tell You)>.
If Joanne wields a platform with 14 million followers, it is imperative that she exercises platform responsibility. So, Here is a horrible thought experiment, let’s imagine I am a billionaire author with a social media following of the same magnitude. I take an outspoken stance against cannibalism, firmly opposing any association with it. Now, allow me to introduce my new associate, an exceptionally bold and innovative culinary master named Jeffry Dahmer. People have tried to cancel my Dahmer for his controversial ingredient choices, but I am using my wealth to shield him from the consequences of his actions. What impact do you anticipate this will have on the practice of cannibalism?
In this analogy, Kelly Jay Keen-Minshull represents the Jeffry Dahmer figure. I am not exaggerating much with this analogy; Minshull unabashedly declares, “I will hold hands with the devil himself.” Many people (myself included) think the devil she is referring to are Nazi's and white nationalist. JK has volunteered to fund a defamation lawsuit on Keen’s behalf over an incident . Although I am not currently equipped to thoroughly research this matter, it’s worth noting that defamation may have a lower standard of proof in England compared to America. KJK has made unequivocally transphobic statements, such as “I am happy to be called a transphobe” or “[Trans men] Should be sterilised”. Furthermore, she has voiced the hope that trans women experience fatal allergies to trans healthcare. Much of what I’ve discussed thus far is drawn from Shaun’s recent video, <“Kelly Jay Keen and the Neo Nazi’s”>.
In light of these instances, it is evident that Joanne holds transphobic views. She equates trans activists to malevolent Nazis. According to my definition of transphobia, this leaves no room for her to be exempt from the label. To argue against this, one would essentially need to assert that Nazis were both benevolent and not intimidating —most people state the opposite.
However, I didn’t just write this to prove JK Rowling was transphobic. I wanted to illustrate what an awful person she really is. This is evident if you’ve read her books. There is an undercurrent of meanness that runs though all of her work, coming out in her hero's as well as villain's. This aspect was (obviously) toned down in the movie version. If your want an example of Rowling’s protagonists being really awful you can check out this passage from the “Silkworm”.
If you go for that door one more time I’m calling the police and I’ll testify and be glad to watch you go down for attempted murder. And it won’t be fun for you Pippa,’ he added. ‘Not pre-op.’
That is her protagonist Cormorand Strike threatening a trans woman with prison rape, and insuating she would enjoy it after gender affirming surgery.
Even that isn’t the bottom of the barrel as far as I'm concerned. He was a fictional character and no one was really harmed. No the tweet I feel cemented her on my worst person ever list would be the exchange she had with Jessie Gender on twitter, who advocated for boycotting JK Rowling’s new material, particularly the Harry Potter video game. Her argument was grounded in the notion that while one could take solace in previously owned products, any future financial support for Joanne would adversely affect the trans community. You may agree or disagree with her; however, one cannot reasonably deny that Joanne’s response was nothing short of cruel. She embarked on what I generously label a “reducto ad absurdum” argument, asserting that Jessie must wholeheartedly embrace being a “true” social justice warrior, culminating in the ludicrous notion of killing her pet dog.
The tweet’s shocking nature is amplified when considering a few factors:
- The substantial disparity in follower count.
- She quoted tweeted her response. This paints a target on Jessie and a direct link to her page to start a pile on. Any responsible users would have at least SS it.
- The entirety of Jessie’s professional identity hinges on her online social media presence, implying that a collective onslaught carries financial and emotional repercussions.
- The glaring incongruity in tone. Jessie’s stance opposes supporting an influential, transphobic billionaire, while Joanne’s response advises killing a pet dog.
These events unfolded shortly after I had to bid farewell to my dearest companion, Simba, who now hopefully enjoys mint-flavored hair conditioner over the rainbow bridge.
