Jeopardy! alum Amy Schneider has spoken out against J.K. Rowling's "hate speech" against transgender women in reaction to an op-ed published by The New York Times on Thursday.Harry Potter writer Rowling has fallen from beloved to beleaguered in recent years, over her comments regarding transgender women.
She has also received a lot of support for her stance, with "#IStandWithJKRowling" trending on Twitter in the past.Pamela Paul counted herself among Rowling's supporters in a lengthy piece published on Thursday by the Times bearing the headline: "In Defense of J.K.
Rowling."Paul spoke out against a "noisy fringe of the internet and a number of powerful transgender rights activists and LGBTQ lobbying groups," accusing them of fueling a "campaign against Rowling" that is "as dangerous as it is absurd."She wrote in the piece that Rowling's detractors have targeted her because she has campaigned for "the right to spaces for biological women only, such as domestic abuse shelters and sex-segregated prisons."In the article, Paul also insisted that "nothing Rowling has said qualifies as transphobic," adding: "There is no evidence that she is putting trans people 'in danger,' as has been claimed, nor is she denying their right to exist."The op-ed caught the attention of Schneider, who wrote on Twitter: "If certain famous billionaire authors were to advocate for 'Whites only' spaces, we'd all see it as the hate speech that it is.
But when they advocate for 'cis only' spaces, the most powerful newspaper in the country rushes to their defense."If certain famous billionaire authors were to advocate for “Whites only” spaces, we’d all see it as the hate speech that it is.