Although she faced a ton of backlash, Rowling refused to backtrack on her words and went on to say: “If s** isn’t real, there’s no same-s** attraction. If s** isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased.
“I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of s** removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.”
In 2022, Rowling would release a book titled ‘The Ink Black Heart’, under her alias Robert Galbraith.
It’s a crime thriller about a YouTuber called Edie Ledwell, who releases a cartoon which is criticised as being racist, ableist, and transphobic.
Rowling was slammed on X, formerly Twitter over the new book, with one person tweeting: “I just finished reading ‘The Ink Black Heart’. How can I describe it? – Utterly transphobic and ableist. – Poorly written. – Unnecessarily verbose. – Painfully long. – The worst of the series so far.”
Another said: “If any person personifies how becoming very wealthy dulls you from the humanity that made you successful in the first place, it’s J.K. Rowling.
“Imagine writing a whole pity party of a book because trans-Twitter was mean to you after you were mean to them.”
Several Harry Potter stars have also opposed Rowling’s views.
Chris Rankin (aka Percy Weasley) told Eastern Daily Press: “I do a lot of work with charities that are LGBTQ+ focused and I raise money for the Albert Kennedy Trust on a regular basis.
“A lot of my family are members of the community. It is a huge part of my life and I think, by saying that, you can probably guess where my allegiances lie in that respect.”
He added: “What is important to highlight is that, when a trans person says they are male or female, that is what they are and that is how we should treat them.
“It is damaging to them to say otherwise.”
And two of the franchise’s biggest stars have offered similar sentiments.
Daniel Radcliffe released a statement through The Trevor Project in June 2020, explaining how he felt ‘compelled to say something’.
It read: “I realise that certain press outlets will probably want to paint this as in-fighting between J.K. Rowling and myself, but that is really not what this is about, nor is it what’s important right now.
“While Jo is unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken, as someone who has been honoured to work with and continues to contribute to The Trevor Project for the last decade, and just as a human being, I feel compelled to say something at this moment.
“Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I.”
The Woman in Black actor would go on to say that he’s ‘deeply sorry’ the ‘Harry Potter’ books may have been ‘tarnished or diminished’ for readers.
Meanwhile, Emma Watson tweeted: “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.”
In another tweet, she added: “I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are.”
Fans are also convinced the Little Women actress made a dig at Rowling during her 2022 BAFTAs speech.
It happened when Rebel Wilson – who was hosting the event – welcomed the actress to the stage by saying: “Here to present the next award is Emma Watson. She calls herself a feminist, but we all know she’s a witch.”
In response, Watson said: “I’m here for all the witches.”
And now, Rowling has hit back at the criticism of her views…
This week, Rowling shared a tweet about the Cass Review, which is an independent review of gender identity services for children and young people.
Mermaids, a charity supporting trans, non-binary and gender-questioning children, warned that ‘some of the language in the report is open to misinterpretation and could be used to justify additional barriers to accessing care for some trans young people’, as per The Guardian.
However, Rowling called the report ‘the most robust review of the medical evidence for transitioning children that’s ever been conducted’.
The author claims the findings showed ‘kids have been irreversibly harmed’, adding: “Thousands are complicit, not just medics, but the celebrity mouthpieces, unquestioning media and cynical corporations.”
In response, a fan of Rowling said: “Just waiting for Dan and Emma to give you a very public apology… safe in the knowledge that you will forgive them…”
However, Rowling insists that she would not forgive the pair.
“Not safe, I’m afraid,” she wrote. “Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single-sex spaces.”
Fans have since rushed to Radcliffe and Watson’s defence, with one X user writing: “Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe don’t need forgiveness for being compassionate human beings and they weren’t offering you an apology.”
Somebody else weighs in, commenting: “Wait – what have Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe got to apologise to Rowling for? They were in the films of her books when they were kids, she doesn’t own them. That’s some really weird feudal s*** there…”
