JK Rowling, the British novelist, was chastised online for her anti-transgender views months before the release of the immersive game Hogwarts Legacy. On December 14, 2022, the 57-year-old turned to Twitter to respond to one of her admirers with a comment that fueled her already-lit anti-transgender fire. TERF is a trans-exclusionary radical feminist, not a pejorative. JK Rowling has been dubbed a TERF multiple times over the years for her provocative tweets and statements.
Twitter reacted to JK Rowling’s divisive remark
After JK Rowling replied to a fan’s tweet with the controversial “Merry Terfmas,” Twitterati chastised the author for her remarks. Several fans called out Rowling’s prior defenders, who said there was no evidence of her being transphobic. One commenter even said that the creator of Harry Potter is “obsessed” with this hate outburst and likes it on purpose.
Rowling apologists: “Show me where JK was explicitly transphobic!!”
JK Rowling herself: pic.twitter.com/ssB1Bfwc7L
— Have a Holly Jolly Get Rekt (@mallowm00n) December 17, 2022
H from Steps has deleted a Tweet criticising JK Rowling’s bigotry after an onslaught of homophobic abuse and harassment from Rowling’s supporters.
Rowling and the “Gender Critical” movement are never going to stop at just trans people. pic.twitter.com/TE04u0XVC5
— Bad Writing Takes 🖊️🏳️🌈 (@BadWritingTakes) December 20, 2022
JK Rowling sent money to a group that does not support trans individuals.
JK Rowling has opened a counseling center in Scotland for rape and sexual assault survivors that restricts services to trans women and excludes trans personnel. The support facility, Beira’s Place, is housed in a former townhouse and bills itself as “Edinburgh women’s s*xual assault support center.” Her “Happy Terfmas” response came in response to a tweet that encouraged her new enterprise while also cheering her on during the holiday season. Pink News received a statement from the support organization, which stated:
“Beira’s Place is a service for women exclusively. According to Section 212 of the Equality Act 2010, a woman is a “female of any age,” and Beira’s Place services are for women aged 16 and above. The service is provided in compliance with the Equality Act 2010, which allows for the provision of single-sex services and a single-sex personnel strategy in a variety of settings when it is justified.”
Rowling’s recent tweet adds to the writer’s long history of anti-transgender sentiment. It even rekindled the debate over whether or not Harry Potter fans could continue to appreciate her work. Rowling has sparked outrage in recent years for her refusal to embrace transsexual individuals. The controversial author first made waves in 2019 when she publicly backed researcher Maya Forstater, who was sacked for making transphobic remarks.
A year later, she was chastised for criticizing an article that referred to “those who menstruate” rather than “women.” After publishing her book, The Ink Black Heart, in September 2022, the author sparked yet another round of internet debate. Edie Ledwell, a character in the novel, dies after being called out for being transphobic, ableist, and racist.
