Four years ago, Harry Potter author JK Rowling said she respected, “every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them.” However, since then, she’s only hardened in her gender-critical views.
She’s recently taken to purposefully misgendering trans people. This previously included people such as British trans activist and former TV reporter India Willoughby, who has often sparred with Rowling online.
However, Rowling’s now moved on to misgendering many more trans people – even those who have not engaged with her.
Back in January, it was announced that a 52-year-old trans woman, Lucy Clark, had made history. After being the first trans woman to become an official soccer referee in the UK, Clark became the new manager of the women’s team, Sutton United. This made her the first trans manager of a top-five division team.
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𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 🤝
— Sutton United Women F.C. (@SuttonUtdWomen) January 24, 2024
Delighted to announce @lucyclarkref as our new Manager. Great to have a lifelong U’s fan on board 💛
👉 https://t.co/9qkY3lIexO#SuttonUnited #HerGameToo pic.twitter.com/X1ws17xNtz
It seems that news of the appointment has only just come to the attention of Rowling. She reposted a tweet about Clark’s appointment with a satirical message, saying, “When I was young all the football managers were straight, white, middle-aged blokes, so it’s fantastic to see how much things have changed.”
When I was young all the football managers were straight, white, middle-aged blokes, so it's fantastic to see how much things have changed. https://t.co/jx9zp0hRyU
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 11, 2024
Social media “pile-on”
Many of Rowling’s followers applauded her latest anti-trans mockery. However, many other people were appalled at why she felt the need to knock this trans woman’s achievements.
Awww look at you directing a pile on onto a human who’s done absolutely nothing to you other than sit within your target of hatred… you must be endlessly proud of how you treat other human beings, right? What a way to crown your career. Pitiful what you’ve descended into
— Stuzi 🐝🐝 (@stuzi_pants) May 11, 2024
I’ve not met Lucy but my husband knows her wife.
— Caroline [email protected] 🏳️⚧️ (@alicemydaughter) May 11, 2024
Lucy is a real person with a family, and a life to live. Bills to pay.
What harm does her role as a football manager cause you?
The team love her. Her wife and child love her.
Your decision to pile on her is simply cruel.
With these tweets JK Rowling makes clear she thinks trans people have no place in public life
— Cllr Benali Hamdache (@greenbenali) May 12, 2024
By simply existing. By being the first.
You are (in her book) deserving of attack and ridicule
It is abhorrent and it is cruel pic.twitter.com/c054ABXHKl
Rowling doubles down
Did the criticism give Rowling pause for thought?
It did not. Rowling later reposted a Daily Mail story about her first tweet. Its headline read, “JK Rowling is accused of cruelty as she mocks transgender football manager by comparing her to a ‘straight, white, middle-aged bloke”.
Rowling retweeted the headline with the caption, “I didn’t compare him to one. He IS one.”
That tweet has had over 390,000 likes at the time of writing.
I didn’t compare him to one. He IS one. https://t.co/LUqXuSjktV
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 12, 2024
Rowling went on to quip with her supporters.
My rose-tinted gender goggles keep malfunctioning and unfortunately, when l looked at this sturdy father of three, the lenses shattered.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 12, 2024
One person not applauding Rowling told the author her “downfall is so sad.”
Rowling, again, was unrepentant, suggesting people just wait until she hits “rock bottom. It’s going to be spectacular.”
You’ve seen nothing yet. Wait til I hit rock bottom. It’s going to be spectacular. pic.twitter.com/XsRFNjBGUz
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 12, 2024
Someone else implored her just to treat people with “kindness”.
“When you stop telling me to lie, I’ll stop shouting the truth,” replied Rowling.
When you stop telling me to lie, I'll stop shouting the truth. pic.twitter.com/ckHaPM5Vf8
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 12, 2024
Conversion therapy ban
Rowling has consistently said that her gender-critical views stem largely from her desire to “protect” women-only spaces. She seems to now be on a crusade to lambast the very notion of trans people. She’s also taken to recently speak out in support of certain forms of “conversion therapy”.
The UK government has been exploring the possibility of introducing a “conversion therapy” ban for some time to protect LGBTQ+ people. However, some gender-critical campaigners believe a proposed blanket ban would stop counselors from offering therapy to younger trans people. They suggest that encouraging trans people to live in a gender different to that assigned at birth, is a form of gay conversion therapy.
Rowling, today, retweeted a thread arguing this point and saying proposed changes to the law are “dangerous”.
Thread setting out why so many gay adults stand against the 'chaotic' and 'dangerous' conversion amendment. https://t.co/roGm6axKSw
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 13, 2024
Related“If those are Jo’s views, then they are not the views of everybody associated with the ‘Potter’ franchise,” Radcliffe said in a new interview.Let’s demystify and discuss the sometimes controversial concept.