Harry Potter author JK Rowling accused of transphobia over recent tweets

JK Rowling is facing widespread backlash from once again after posting a series of tweets about sex and gender.The criticism started after the Harry Potter author called out the use of the phrase “people who menstruate” by sharing an op-ed article with that wording on Twitter.
After receiving backlash for the tweet, Rowling doubled down on her stance and pushed back against accusations of transphobia.
She claimed she has been “empathetic to trans people for decades” and called accusations that she hates transgender people “nonsense”.
She added: “I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.”
Rowling also noted she had spent the last three years “reading books, blogs and scientific papers by trans people, medics and gender specialists”.
“Never assume that because someone thinks differently, they have no knowledge,” she wrote.
Within an hour of publishing those tweets she was trending on Twitter and had received thousands of responses.
People were quick to call the author out, with labelling her views “offensive” and some claiming she was “actively hurting” people with her words.
Actor Sarah Paulson also commented on the controversy, telling Rowling “Goodnight and shut up”.
Charlotte Clymer from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) also condemned her tweets.
“The vast consensus of medical and other scientific experts validate trans people and urge affirmation of us. Your own country’s medical organisations have said as much,” Clymer wrote.
“You don’t love trans people, and certainly don’t care about us.
“BOTTOM LINE: if you respect science and you respect women’s rights, you respect the rights of trans people to be validated and affirmed in our authenticity.”
US musician Brad Walsh said Rowling’s comments were “incredibly disappointing”.
“You’re a smart person. How do you not yet understand the difference between sex and gender? The only way I can possibly explain your ignorance at this point is wilfulness. It’s incredibly disappointing,” he wrote on Twitter.
This isn’t the first time Rowling has faced accusations of transphobia.
In December last year the Harry Potter author responded to a ruling which said workforce employees could be sacked if they say that biological sex cannot be changed.
It came after British think tank researcher Maya Forstater lost her job when she said “men cannot change into women” on social media.
Rowling offered her support to Forstater on Twitter.
She wrote: “Dress however you please.
“Call yourself whatever you like.
“Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you.
“Live your best life in peace and security.
“But force women out of their jobs for stating that [biological] sex is real?”
Her tweet sparked a series of angry responses, with the phrase “JK Rowling is a TERF” trending on Twitter.
TERF is an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.