JK Rowling claims trans activism is ‘elitist’ as she says her gender views ‘haven’t changed’
JK Rowling (Getty Images)
JK Rowling has published a new essay defending her views on sex and gender, saying “twenty-first century trans activism … is elitist to its core”.
She also wrote about receiving “an avalanche of death, rape and torture threats” over her stance, which she added “haven’t changed”.
The Harry Potter author posted the 2,000-plus-word update on her website on Wednesday, describing it as a follow-up to an essay she published in June 2020. In the new piece, Rowling wrote that while her views haven’t changed, “the landscape certainly has, and my own involvement in the issue has become practical as well as theoretical, so I thought it was time for an update.”
What did JK Rowling say in the essay?
She wrote of her “lifelong commitment to women’s and girls’ rights and opportunities, with a particular emphasis on those who’re vulnerable or disadvantaged in various ways”.
Rowling claimed this has caused “an avalanche of death, rape and torture threats” because of her objection to what she described as “the current, dominant strain of trans activism”.
She wrote “the more privileged you are, the less it tends to affect you, and the more it might benefit you”, claiming that for those women trans activism “has been good” as “it’s fashionable, and keeps them popular with their progressive tribe”.
Rowling went on to say “twenty-first century trans activism is the very inverse” of past grassroots efforts surrounding civil, gay or women’s rights, adding: “It is elitist to its core.”
JK Rowling ‘does not want trans people eradicated’
In the essay, Rowling said there are “without question” vulnerable trans people, and argued trans people should not be discriminated against in housing or employment, or denied human rights or personal safety.
She went on to say: “Men as a group pose a risk to women and girls, as a group.” Rowling added: “Of course, all men aren’t rapists, voyeurs or flashers, but enough are to make safeguarding necessary.”
She writes that is why women and girls want single-sex facilities, “not because we hate trans people, not because we want them dead, not because we want them somehow eradicated from existence, but because women and girls have specific issues and needs that men do not, even if they’re calling themselves women and even if they’ve taken cross-sex hormones”.
She ended the essay with a pledge to keep speaking out and using her money to support women’s legal action and services, writing: “I’ll continue to speak out, continue to use my money to help women who otherwise couldn’t afford to go to court, and continue to ensure that women in my area can still access female-delivered, female-centred support after rape.”
Why has the essay landed now?
The new essay arrives amid renewed protests around her Wizarding World. On 16 October, trans rights protesters rushed the red carpet ahead of a gala performance of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child at London’s Palace Theatre.
Rowling remains one of the most influential living authors, and her views on trans rights have drawn widespread criticism and support, often shaping public debate.
Earlier this month, the BBC announced a two-part documentary on the author which is set to look at her rise with Harry Potter and her “polarising” views on gender.
