In Defense of J.K. Rowling
“Trans people need and deserve protection.” “I believe the majority of trans-identified people not only pose zero threat to others but are vulnerable.” “I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them.” “I feel nothing but empathy and solidarity with trans women who’ve been abused by men.” These statements were written by J.K.
Rowling, the author of the “Harry Potter” series, a human-rights activist and — according to a noisy fringe of the internet and a number of powerful transgender rights activists and L.G.B.T.Q.
lobbying groups — a transphobe. Even many of Rowling’s devoted fans have made this accusation. In 2020, The Leaky Cauldron, one of the biggest “Harry Potter” fan sites, claimed that Rowling had endorsed “harmful and disproven beliefs about what it means to be a transgender person,” letting members know it would avoid featuring quotes from and photos of the author.
Other critics have advocated that bookstores pull her books from the shelves, and some bookstores have done so. She has also been subjected to verbal abuse, doxxing and threats of sexual and other physical violence, including death threats.
