J.K. Rowling’s Latest Controversial Tweet Sparks Online Feud: ‘Trans Women are Not Collateral Damage’
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J.K. Rowling has sent Twitter into a frenzy yet again after posting a tweet that many on the left have slammed as transphobic.
In recent years, Rowling has faced intense scrutiny and backlash online — with some support from the right — after making several comments that many, including Harry Potter stars, deemed as transphobic and insensitive.
On Sunday, the Harry Potter author posted another controversial take on Twitter, sharing an article from British paper The Times, titled “‘Absurdity’ of police logging rapists as women.”
War is Peace.
Freedom is Slavery.
Ignorance is Strength.
The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman.https://t.co/SyxFnnboM1— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 12, 2021
“War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is A Woman,” she wrote in the tweet, quickly sparking a debate on gender politics.
Lawyer and columnist Seth Abramson responded to the post in a lengthy Twitter thread, blasting Rowling’s take for being both transphobic and making “no goddamned sense at all.”
(PS) I can’t even tell what J.K. is getting at. Is she saying a trans person ceases to be so if they commit a rape? Is she saying governments should be empowered to strip people of their identity when/as they even *accuse* someone of a crime? Why do I think even she doesn’t know?
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) December 13, 2021
“Sorry, J.K., but if a self-described trans (alleged) rapist is indeed a trans person, there’s no harm or foul here,” later adding, that it’s “wholly unclear what she’s even objecting to or what supposed problem she thinks she’s identifying.”
Abramson also questioned if the author was implying that “a trans person ceases to be so if they commit a rape,” adding, “J.K. seems to believe that the police are *accepting* that a trans person who has not transitioned lacks a penis if that person identifies as trans.”
“Rape victims should be able to speak the truth as they see it, and juries assess truth as they see it,” he concluded. “If evidence emerges that rare booking events are evolving into set judicial orders on how rape victims can testify, I’ll revisit this. As of now there’s no such evidence.”
Others on the left took to Twitter to reiterate that delegitimizing someone’s gender causes harm to those in the trans community:
jk rowling is a bad person w/ bad politics, a childish understanding of feminism and a truly ugly spirit. it’s embarrassing to look at her tweets. it’s upsetting to watch her harm marginalized people. it’s infuriating to me as a feminist, as an assault survivor and as a woman.
— jourdain searles (@judysquirrels) December 13, 2021
Trans women are not collateral damage that you can throw under the bus because you’ve decided without evidence that they represent a significant threat to women.
— Tom Coates (@tomcoates) December 13, 2021
Wow Jk ROWLING, Now U KNOW what #Trans People experience daily! How’s it feel? You would think instead of acting like a victim, you would start to empathize with the death threats & tormenting #Trans people receive DAILY for just existing & TONS are MURDERED every year💔💔
— Daniel Newmaη (@DanielNewman) December 13, 2021
Who knew that the real Voldemort was JK Rowling all along?
— Dr. Sarah Parcak (@indyfromspace) December 13, 2021
is JK Rowling making horcruxes from her hateful tweets? why is she doing this?
— Washington Post TikTok Guy 🎄 (@davejorgenson) December 13, 2021
In the real world, this fictional problem doesn’t happen — however 1 in 2 trans women are victims of sexual assault at some point in their lives, and I wonder whether Rowling has ever given any thought as to what to do about this actual, real problem. https://t.co/q3gVyH4ZEp
— Matthew Chapman (@fawfulfan) December 13, 2021
Twitter users also mocked Rowling for “obsessing over the trans community” and spending “her days shitposting about the minority group she doesn’t like”:
J.K. Rowling is determined to make sure she’s remembered for her transphobic views just as much as she is for creating Harry Potter. Shame. https://t.co/h62asoF7zM
— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) December 13, 2021
You literally have a castle and you spend your time doing this
— Rob (@robrousseau) December 13, 2021
J.K. Rowling and Dave Chapelle obsessing over the trans community: pic.twitter.com/kJeqzKRpGN
— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) December 13, 2021
if you’re ever curious about the addictiveness of social media: JK Rowling has like a billion dollars but spends her days shitposting about the minority group she doesn’t like for interactions https://t.co/oKtM5bRL2T
— Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) December 13, 2021
Imagine having Jk ROWLING’S $1 billion, & #Trans people’s existence ruins your day
Not 216,000 Kids being molested by Catholic priests
not The rape & molestation of millions of women by MEN
not social injustice for women
Instead she hates #Transgender kids & innocent people
— Daniel Newmaη (@DanielNewman) December 13, 2021
jk Rowling stop whinging about trans people challenge
— 🎅🏿Imani Gandy Cane🎅🏿 (@AngryBlackLady) December 13, 2021
J.K. Rowling is determined to make sure she’s remembered for her transphobic views just as much as she is for creating Harry Potter. Shame. https://t.co/h62asoF7zM
— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) December 13, 2021
Conservatives, on the other hand, viewed her consistency regarding the genitalia of those in the trans community as “strong” and “empowered”:
JK Rowling is strong, empowered, and standing up for women’s rights.
And the woke hate her for it. https://t.co/FhmTpnIAaJ
— Lauren Chen (@TheLaurenChen) December 12, 2021
Thank you. Truth is not partisan.
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) December 13, 2021
Ah yes, the person in the wrong in this hypothetical scenario about a rapist is… JK Rowling
— Hadley Freeman (@HadleyFreeman) December 13, 2021
Seth Abramson bullying @jk_rowling a superior human to most of us, while she is defending woman and their spaces and blocking me for this is the height of irony. If you r ok with violent male criminals identifying as women to be placed in woman’s jails you’re fucked in the head. https://t.co/aCQMogPNKX
— yannispappas (@yannispappas) December 13, 2021
Rowling also received public support from Dave Chappelle in his latest Netflix special The Closer, in which he declared himself “team TERF” — the acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.
“They canceled J.K. Rowling — my God. Effectually she said gender was a fact, the trans community got mad as shit, they started calling her a TERF,” Chappelle said, later adding, “I’m team TERF. … Gender is a fact.”
