JK Rowling Essay Says Her Family “Begged” Her Not To Share Transphobic Views
Image: J K Rowling. Image: Facebook
JK Rowling has published a new essay in which she describes trans rights as 鈥渢he greatest assault of my lifetime鈥� on women鈥檚 rights.
The Harry Potter author says her family 鈥渂egged鈥� her not to speak out about her transphobic views, but claims she would have 鈥渇elt ashamed for the rest of [her] days if [she] hadn’t鈥� spoken up.
鈥淚鈥檇 come to believe that the socio-political movement insisting 鈥榯rans women are women鈥� was neither kind nor tolerant,鈥� reads an excerpt of Rowling鈥檚 essay, published in , 鈥渂ut in fact profoundly misogynistic, regressive, dangerous in some of its objectives and nakedly authoritarian in its tactics.鈥�
The essay is featured in The Women Who Wouldn鈥檛 Wheesht, a book of essays that speak on a 鈥榝ive-year campaign to protect women鈥檚 sex-based rights鈥� in Scotland.
I鈥檓 very proud to have contributed an essay to this book, alongside many women I鈥檓 proud to call my friends.
For non-Scots, 鈥榳heesht鈥� means 鈥榖e quiet鈥� or 鈥榟ush up鈥�, but I suspect you could have worked that out from the context鈥�
鈥� J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling)
Rowling鈥檚 family 鈥榖egged her鈥� not to speak
She claims she watched women campaign for their rights from the sidelines because: 鈥減eople around me, including some I love, were begging me not to speak鈥�, adding the guilt caused her 鈥渃hronic pain鈥�.
鈥淚 believe that what is being done to troubled young people in the name of gender identity ideology is, indeed, a terrible medical scandal.
鈥淚 believe we鈥檙e witnessing the greatest assault of my lifetime on the rights our foremothers thought they鈥檇 guaranteed for all women.
鈥淯ltimately, I spoke up because I鈥檇 have felt ashamed for the rest of my days if I hadn鈥檛. If I feel any regret at all, it鈥檚 that I didn鈥檛 speak far sooner.鈥�
JK Rowling claims she is victim of 鈥渙nline monstering鈥�
In the essay she also addresses the backlash to , a tax expert for international think tank Centre for Global Development, who was sacked after tweeting that transgender people can鈥檛 change their biological sex.
鈥淣obody who鈥檚 been through an online monstering or a tsunami of death and rape threats will claim it鈥檚 fun, and I鈥檓 not going to pretend it鈥檚 anything other than disturbing and frightening.鈥�
On Harry Potter stars denouncing transphobic views
Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne have all .
Rowling reflected: 鈥淧eople who鈥檇 worked with me rushed to distance themselves from me or to add their public condemnation of my blasphemous views (though I should add that many former and current colleagues have been staunchly supportive).
鈥淭he thing is, those appalled by my position often fail to grasp how truly despicable I find theirs,” she said.
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