CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses claims of transphobia.
It’s an age-old question: If you could invite anyone in the world to dinner, who would it be? If you had asked me this question five years ago, the answer would be easy: J.K. Rowling.
I had a late start with my time in the Harry Potter universe, and as a 15-year-old high school freshman, I had finally gotten the courage to dive into the book series that everyone around me loved so much (frankly, the dementors were too scary for me to take on earlier in my life). I’d be lying if I said that the series didn’t impact me in an incredibly significant way — I felt as though I finally had a community of people to relate to and a world to escape to when things were stressful.
However, if you were to ask me that question today, J.K. would no longer be anywhere near the top of my list.
If you were anywhere near Twitter in June, you likely saw J.K. Rowling’s name trending across the platform. On June 6, 2020, J.K. Rowling quote-tweeted an opinion piece from Devex.com, which discussed the difficulties of menstruation practices during a global pandemic and the need for further investment in menstrual healthcare. In J.K.’s tweet, she expressed her distaste for the use of the phrase “people who menstruate,” saying “I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”
Needless to say, this statement did not sit well with her fans and followers. While people immediately took to Twitter to respond to her controversial tweet, she continued to argue her views, tweeting “if sex isn’t real, there’s no same sex-attraction,” and implying that the identities of trans people erase the experiences and hardships of cis women around the world.
(Note: This is not the first time J.K. has come under fire for transphobic allegations. In 2019, she publicly supported Maya Forester, who was fired from her job for anti-trans tweets.)
Not long after these tweets were released, J.K. was trending around the world, and fans and cast members of the films alike were speaking out against her posts. In one tweet, by user @MalloryRubin, Editor-in-Chief of The Ringer, Mallory said “Harry Potter is about the magic of love, acceptance, belonging. The power of courage. The impact of hope. Trying to take those things away from people is a terrible tragedy. Trans women are women.” Many other individuals spoke out similarly, saying how the tweets were negatively impacting their experiences with and love for the books and movies. For a series that so heavily emphasized being unique and embracing oneself, the views of J.K. seemed to catch many fans off guard.
Even the cast of Harry Potter quickly took to the internet to speak out as well. Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter himself, was one of the first cast members to release a statement about the tweets. On June 8, only two days after J.K.’s original posts, his statement was released on the Trevor Project’s website. In it, he defended the trans community and explained his disagreement with J.K.’s beliefs. He went on to apologize to any fans who had been negatively impacted by her statements, saying, “If you found anything in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any time in your life — then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred. And in my opinion nobody can touch that.”
Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Bonnie Wright were among other cast members to speak out in support of the trans community.
And, in typical Twitter fashion, many also took to the platform to poke fun at the author’s desire to stay relevant, even years after Harry Potter was at its height of popularity.
jk rowling: i’m not trending anymore
publicist: that is great news
jk rowling: i actually disagree
— randy (@randypaint) September 14, 2020
By June 10, J.K. had publicly released a (rather lengthy) personal narrative essay on her website, expressing her reasoning behind discussing her views (nearing almost 4,000 words), which you can read here.
Fast forward a few months later, and here we are. J.K. has recently published a new book, called Troubled Blood, and at the heart of the book is a serial killer who disguises himself as a woman to commit his murders. With such a large platform, many are expressing that this is a dangerous narrative to portray, as trans people face an increased risk of violence every day.
Since all of these tweets and views have come to light, many fans have become aware of the fact that J.K. is still profiting off of any Harry Potter licensed merchandise, and are thus making the conscious decision to no longer purchase official merch. Instead, many now plan to buy secondhand or from small businesses and Etsy shops, or to create their own merch, as an act of separating her from the Harry Potter universe.
While I looked up to J.K. for the longest time, I can say that for the time being, I, along with many others, will not be supporting her. With such a large platform, spreading such narratives can be incredibly dangerous for individuals who once found her stories to be a safe space, a space where they felt they could be themselves. People should never feel lessened as individuals because of their identities and who they are, and it’s disheartening to know that some people may never feel safe or welcomed in the universe again. One can only hope that J.K. will realize the harm in her statements, and, for the sake of her audience, work to educate herself and grow on the topic.
Sex does not determine one’s gender. No one is trying to invalidate J.K.’s experiences as a cis woman, but no one should invalidate the experiences of trans women, either — after all, we all identify as women. Say it with me: Trans women are women, and trans lives matter.
For more resources and ways to help support the trans community, please see the links below.