J.K. Rowling knee-deep in controversy as she maintains her transphobic views
J.K. Rowling has now sparked a new wave of fury after her latest comments about the transgender community
July 06, 2020
British author J.K. Rowling’s title as one of the most esteemed public figures seems to have slipped off for good.
The Harry Potter writer has now sparked a new wave of fury after her latest comments about the transgender community.
She turned to Twitter on Sunday to reiterate how she thinks "we are watching a new kind of conversion therapy for young gay people."
Her latest series of tweets were in response to some social media users pointing out that she had liked a tweet that suggested that people on “mental health medication” were “lazy,” thereby escalating the entire fiasco.
"I've ignored fake tweets attributed to me and RTed widely. I've ignored porn tweeted at children on a thread about their art. I've ignored death and rape threats. I'm not going to ignore this," she wrote in response to the claims.
"When you lie about what I believe about mental health medication and when you misrepresent the views of a trans woman for whom I feel nothing but admiration and solidarity, you cross a line,” she said.
“I've written and spoken about my own mental health challenges, which include OCD, depression and anxiety. I did so recently in my essay 'TERF Wars.' I've taken antidepressants in the past and they helped me,” she added.
"Many health professionals are concerned that young people struggling with their mental health are being shunted towards hormones and surgery when this may not be in their best interests.
"Many, myself included, believe we are watching a new kind of conversion therapy for young gay people, who are being set on a lifelong path of medicalization that may result in the loss of their fertility,” she went on to say.
"As I've said many times, transition may be the answer for some. For others, it won't—witness the accounts of detransitioners. The long-term health risks of cross-sex hormones have been now been tracked over a lengthy period. These side-effects are often minimized or denied by trans activists."
"None of that may trouble you or disturb your belief in your own righteousness. But if so, I can't pretend I care much about your bad opinion of me,” she said signing off.
Her tweets led to more outrage over her anti-trans stance, with trans activist and model Munroe Bergdorf hitting back and saying: "Not once has @jk_rowling stopped to think about the damage she is doing to the mental health of trans kids. Not supporting a trans kids transition doesn't stop them from being trans. If anything forcing them to live as a gender they don't identity as, is conversion therapy."
"Kids, I want to say that I am so, so sorry this is happening. I will fight tooth and nail on this for you, I will always fight for you. These evil people will not win,” she added.
Kat Blaque, acclaimed YouTuber also retorted, saying: “Why does JK Rowling need to keep reminding the world that she doesn't see transgender people's genders as valid? I hate to say this but trans folks who take hormones, have surgeries etc, KNOW their biology isn't similar to the cis folks who share their gender.
"And it's honestly so annoying for people to pretend that taking a stance against transgender folks is edgy and is a stance that's actively silenced. I hate how people forget that while you debate about if trans folks get to participate in public society, time continues for us,” she added.
Drag artist Juno Birch also took an aim at the writer, saying: "JK Rowling needs to be quiet immediately she is literally harming the trans community, she apparently just posted the clinic I went to as a child and said that they are experimenting on us, when in fact the Tavistock clinic saved my life.”
Rowling had earlier found herself in hot water after she posted a series of controversial tweets about gender identities invalidating biological sex.
“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.”
“The idea that women like me, who’ve been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they’re vulnerable in the same way as women — ie, to male violence — ‘hate’ trans people because they think sex is real and has lived consequences — is nonsense,” she added.
