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Some Harry Potter fans are accusing author J.K. Rowling of joining the Death Eaters.
The bestselling British author has cast a spell on the world for the past 21 years with her whimsical series about young wizards and witches coming of age and fighting dark forces. She’s sold more than 500 million copies of her books worldwide, which have spawned a franchise worth $25 billion and counting when factoring in the books, movies, merchandise and a hit Broadway show.
And then she tweeted in support of Maya Forstater, a U.K. tax expert who lost her job this week after tweeting that “men cannot change into women.”
The backstory: on Thursday, the Central London Employment Tribunal upheld the termination because Forstater’s view that there are only two biological sexes was “incompatible with human dignity and fundamental rights of others,” as reported by the Independent. The judge added that Forstater could not ignore the legal rights of transgender people, or the “enormous pain that can be caused by misgendering a person.”
Forstater responded in a statement that,“This judgment removes women’s rights and the right to freedom of belief and speech.” And Rowling seems to agree.
The author tweeted on Thursday that she stands by Forstater. After listing rights such as dressing the way you want and calling yourself whatever you like, she ended her post with, “But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real?” and added the hashtags #IStandWithMaya and #ThisIsNotADrill.
The backlash was swift, with many readers who identify as transgender, parents of transgender children, as well as LGBTQ allies reacting with anger and disappointment on social media on Thursday. Phrases like “JK Rowling is a TERF” (which stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist) were trending on Twitter TWTR, +0.55% early in the day.
Other Rowling fans inserting terms such as “transphobe” and “transphobia” into Harry Potter book and movie titles, or pointed out that Emma Watson (who played Hermione in the Harry Potter films) has stood up for trans rights.
A representative for Rowling told MarketWatch by email that, “there won’t be any comment from J.K. Rowling or her team on this issue.”
Forstater tweeted that Rowling’s support was “all I wanted for Christmas.” She also addressed Rowling’s Twitter followers, sharing a link to a crowdfunding page for her legal defense, where she outlines her case and what she describes as her “gender critical” views.
