On Monday, J.K. Rowling, while advocating for banning transgender women from women's restrooms, called transgender journalist India Willoughby "a man revelling in his misogynistic performance of what he thinks ‘woman’ means.” She then later stated that Willoughby is "cosplaying" her gender identity. The author had previously made several remarks widely seen as transphobic and hateful. However, these latest remarks are some of the most brazen from the childhood author, who has since doubled down after receiving heavy criticism.
Her post targeting Willoughby and her transgender allies came after she compared allowing transgender people to use bathrooms with being permissive about pedophile teachers. She then advocated for forcing transgender women to use men’s restrooms later in the post. When a commenter questioned her stance by asking, “So you are saying this lady should use the men’s locker room then?” she responded, “There isn’t a lady in this [video], just a man reveling in his misogynistic performance of what he thinks a ‘woman’ means.” She later added that Willoughby is “cosplaying a misogynistic male fantasy,” a claim that stems from the notion that transgender people are “fetishists.”
You can see her posts here:
The posts will likely become the clearest examples people point to in the future when asked about the author’s transphobia. In recent years, Rowling has made increasingly hostile remarks towards transgender people.
Previous instances of statements and remarks targeting trans people include:
Despite these examples, some columnists such as EJ Rosetta have claimed that they have searched for “12 weeks” to find transphobic quotes and could find none, an opinion echoed by UK paper The Daily Mail.
The reaction to and condemnation of her remarks were swift. Alejandra Caraballo, a transgender Harvard Law clinical instructor, said that Rowling “openly attacked a transgender woman solely for being trans,” adding that it was “pure bigotry.” Transgender actor Nicole Maines stated that anyone who “continues to support, employ, and collaborate with Rowling is directly harming transgender people globally.” Jo Maugham, director of the Good Law Project, asked, “If you don't 'pass' you are the butt of jokes. If you do pass you are 'cosplaying a misogynistic fantasy'. So how are you to be yourself in this world?” Even Tom Harwood, Deputy Political Editor at the right-leaning news outlet GBNews, noted, “J.K. Rowling has moved a long way from her original framing of her views back in 2020: ‘I respect every trans person's right to live in any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them.’”
India Willoughby herself responded, “Genuinely disgusted by this. Grotesque transphobia, which is upsetting. I am every bit as much a woman as JK Rowling. Recognised in law, and by everyone I interact with every day. The debate about whether JK Rowling is a transphobe is over.”
Despite this, prominent anti-trans figures in the United Kingdom have continued to defend her, asserting that her comments were “not transphobic.” This group includes notable “gender critical” activist Maya Forstater and online anti-trans activist Jack David. Rowling herself doubled down, stating, “accurately sexing trans-identified men” is “not discrimination.”
For transgender individuals, however, this latest incident will serve as a potent example of transphobic remarks in future discussions.
This originally appeared on Erin in the Morning.
