Author JK Rowling recently faced flak for supporting and upholding transphobic comments made by a woman who got fired for the same. For the unaware, here's a little context for you.
A woman in the UK, Maya Forstater, was fired from her job as a tax researcher after she tweeted against the government's Gender Recognition Act, which allowed people to legally change their gender. The woman's tweets were deemed transphobic and she was eventually dismissed.
However, JK Rowling seems to agree with her and believes that "sex is real", implying that transexuality isn't real. Funny, this coming from a woman who made a living out of writing about creatures and events which are not only fictional but also entirely the product of her imagination.
In a tweet, JK Rowling writes that forcing "women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real" is unfair and even uses the hashtag #IStandWithMaya.
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 sex is real? #IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotADrill— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 19, 2019
Through her tweet, Rowling essentially claims that you have to adhere to gender norms and be the sex you're born with. She fails to realise that a trans man or a trans woman is also a man or a woman respectively. Denying them of the right to choose their gender is deeply problematic!
I grew up as a trans child reading your books as an escape. I would often pick out names from characters to give to myself, before I ever felt comfortable in who I was. This decision, to support people that hate me, and want to do me harm. It brings me to tears... Why. Why?— Lily is hot (@notafootstool) December 19, 2019
"Trans rights are human rights" Emma Watson 💪 pic.twitter.com/TPkSgoIQyE— Martina Mazza (@matumazza) December 19, 2019
My daughter, who is trans, is a big fan of yours. It breaks my heart to see you post something indicating that discrimination against her is perfectly fine behaviour for an employee.The world’s most credible medical orgs affirm trans people. Please catch up.— Amanda Jetté Knox (@MavenOfMayhem) December 19, 2019
Also, It is both a scientific and medical fact that intersex individuals do exist and gender is not as binary as mainstream society is set to believe. There have been documented cases of patients born with genetically male 46 XY karyotype who have gotten pregnant and gave birth.— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) December 19, 2019
As a gay man that found safety in Hogwarts throughout my childhood - knowing that Trans people wouldn’t be able to have that safety breaks my heart.— Shahmir Sanni شاه مير ساني (@shahmiruk) December 19, 2019
