Dec 21, 2021
JK Rowling: The “Hero” Turned Villian
Rowling has disappointed us all with her transphobic comments.
As a long-time, devoted Harry Potter fan with the label “Hufflepuff” being part of my identity, I am incredibly disappointed by my childhood “hero” JK Rowling. When I was a child, I was amazed by the world she created and it inspired me to become a writer. I was so dedicated that I always tried to be a good person just like my favorite characters, which is why it’s so incredibly disappointing that Rowling herself is not a good person.
In 2019, Rowling made headlines after she said she supported a British woman who got fired for being transphobic at work. In 2020, Rowling wrote a 3,600-word essay that said transgender people need to be identified by their biological sex as they are a danger to women and children. Rowling has continued to make transphobic remarks, mostly through Twitter, saying that she is a TERF (transgender exclusionary radical feminist). She has not stopped, despite people on Twitter asking her to stop.
Rowling’s transphobia has shown us her true colors. Ever since 2019, I tried to wrap my mind around how someone who created the most beautiful, thoughtful characters, this magical world, could be horrible to a group of individuals who are already terrorized by society. Rowling used her platform for hate rather than acceptance and love.
At this moment in 2021, Rowling has a lot going on for her. She is publishing a new book next year and the trailer for the new Fantastic Beasts movie is now out.
However, Rowling does not have any part with the 20-year Harry Potter special airing on HBO Max in January. Warner Brothers, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint made it clear they do not support Rowling’s discrimination and are supportive of the transgender community.
Many fans have spoken out against Rowling. Just before the Fantastic Beasts trailer came out, Rowling made another transphobic comment on Twitter. She commented on an article that talked about how the police in Scotland will record rapes by offenders with male genitalia as being committed by a woman if that woman identifies as female. Rowling criticized the law for letting trans women identify as female by tweeting, “The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman.” Many fans replied and one said, “you literally have a castle and you spend your time doing this.”
My support for JK Rowling has been long gone. As a writer and dedicated Harry Potter fan, Rowling’s values are very disappointing. She is no longer the inspiring writer I thought she was. While I still watch the movie series from time to time, I can never forget that the creator of the Harry Potter world is a transphobic individual who does not stay true to the morals of her stories which are about togetherness and empathy. Rowling would rather discriminate against trans men and women than accept them for who they are. Trans men are men, and trans women are women. Period.
If you would like to learn more about becoming a better ally to the transgender community, then you can check out the Trevor Project’s Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth. Radcliffe recommended this guide in his letter when he wrote about his support for the transgender community back in 2020.
