Our Response to J.K. Rowling’s Ramblings

We’ve taken our time to write this post, mostly because we needed to protect our mental health, but also because J.K. Rowling does a very good job of tying her words into knots and going around in circles.

Her tweets are riddles, and her recent letter entitled ‘TERF Wars’, has many inconsistencies and inaccuracies. We thought long and hard about what to say, and we hope we don’t baffle you with a twisted narrative too…

Our Response to J.K. Rowling’s Ramblings

J.K. Rowling has been troublesome with regards to trans rights for a long time. She claims she’s met trans folk, has a ‘butch lesbian friend’, and has ‘knowledge’ about trans people, but chooses to *think* differently; this all hints at the concept of ‘token’ friends and experiences. She also says she understands the science, but disagrees with it…

That in itself is dangerous.

Influence

With her 1.5 million followers, Rowling can influence the masses. So when she talks about sex, gender and trans folk, all 1.5 million are potentially listening, and learning… from her.

Rowling says:

‘I’ve spent much of the last three years reading books, blogs and scientific papers by trans people, medics and gender specialists. I know exactly what the distinction is. Never assume that because someone thinks differently, they have no knowledge.’

Let’s firstly remember, she is not a scientist, but an author who wrote about a world of being different… (including a token Chinese character called Cho Chang, as pointed out by many recently on Twitter).

Sadly, this isn’t the first time she has spoken out against trans folk. J.K. ‘I know and love trans people, but…’ Rowling has supported the likes of Maya Forstater, who didn’t have her work contract renewed (SHE WASN’T FIRED) because she had anti trans views:

‘Some transgender people have cosmetic surgery. But most retain their birth genitals. Everyone’s equality and safety should be protected, but women and girls lose out on privacy, safety and fairness if males are allowed into changing rooms, dormitories, prisons, sports teams…’

-Maya Forstater

In Maya’s tweets, she refers to trans women as ‘males’, as well as continuing to project her anti-trans narrative across Twitter. This was followed by a complaint from her management and an investigation into her tweets and attitude towards trans folk (read more here). She tried to fight it, but lost, with the judge’s final say:

‘I conclude from … the totality of the evidence, that [Forstater] is absolutist in her view of sex and it is a core component of her belief that she will refer to a person by the sex she considered appropriate even if it violates their dignity and/or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. The approach is not worthy of respect in a democratic society.‘

*read more here

J.K. Rowling defended Maya, and joined in with the hashtag #IStandWithMaya, supporting her argument, supporting her words, supporting her transphobia. This already makes Rowling transphobic, but then she went one step further…

Attention Seeking?

During the current world situation (a time when we’re mostly all coming together for Black Lives Matter), Rowling decides to come out and make it all about her and her views on transgender folk. It started with her tweet about periods…

‘People who menstruate’. I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?’

Wow. We literally have no words for this. Well, we didn’t, but we do now. In writing this singular tweet, J.K. Rowling implied that:

• Women who do not menstruate aren’t women
• Trans men aren’t men, they’re women because they menstruate
• Trans women aren’t women because they don’t menstruate

You can read a VERY well written piece about this subject here.

Backlash

After this (and a few other tweets regarding her idea of ‘sex’), there was a huge backlash on Twitter and beyond. Emma Watson, Eddie Redmayne, Daniel Radcliffe and more celebs pushing back against Rowling’s repetitive and transphobic tweets.

In response, Rowling penned a (very) long essay to… well, anyone who has the time to read it, and this is what we’d like to discuss now.

The Essay

Her essay talks about her ‘concerns’ ‘regarding women only spaces’ and her past experience of domestic abuse. She uses some sketchy facts and figures to argue her point, and goes from talking about her own experiences as a woman, to a bit of waffle about trans rights and women’s rights…

At one point she says about an acquaintance:

‘Being older, though, she went through a long and rigorous process of evaluation, psychotherapy and staged transformation. The current explosion of trans activism is urging a removal of almost all the robust systems through which candidates for sex reassignment were once required to pass. A man who intends to have no surgery and take no hormones may now secure himself a Gender Recognition Certificate and be a woman in the sight of the law. Many people aren’t aware of this.‘

Firstly, being trans ISN’T a psychological disorder. As much as it’s VERY important for all trans folk to have support (in terms of counselling and health check-ups), she edges along the line of supporting the idea of psychotherapy. Furthermore, describing the fight for trans rights as a ‘current explosion of trans activism’ is pretty insulting. Fighting for trans rights isn’t a trend, and the fight currently underway involves trans folks, and allies, preventing more stringent rules coming into play.

‘Women Only Spaces’

If you haven’t heard, Liz Truss (Equalities Minister) is planning on changing the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) to prevent trans women from entering ‘women only spaces’ (changing rooms and toilets) as well as preventing anyone under 18 from accessing puberty blockers. These are all pretty big changes, and they pose the following questions:

• Where would trans folk go to the toilet?
• Where would trans folk change and try on clothing?
• How would young adults cope with going through a puberty they don’t align with? (Find out more about puberty blockers here)

J.K Rowling continues to rant away, explaining how any ‘man’ can gain a Gender Recognition Certificate and be a ‘woman’. We’d like to say, this is NOT true, and we very much doubt predatory men are going to go out of their way to change their gender by law?!

IF A MAN IS GOING TO ATTACK OR ABUSE A WOMAN, HE’LL DO IT. HE DOESN’T NEED TO PRETEND TO BE TRANS TO DO IT!!

Gender Recognition Certificate

Currently, the way to get a Gender Recognition Certificate varies depending on where you live, but this is what most of the UK trans population must do to apply (not necessarily get) a certificate (taken from the gov website):

‘Apply by the standard route if all the following are true:

• you’re 18 or over
• you’ve been diagnosed with gender dysphoria (discomfort with your birth gender) – this is also called gender identity disorder, gender incongruence or transsexualism
• you’ve lived in your acquired gender for at least 2 years
• you intend to live in your acquired gender for the rest of your life’

Scotland would like to change this to 3 months living ‘in role’ prior to application, with the person intending to live in their acquired gender permanently. This would be available to anyone over the age of 16.

It’s each trans person’s choice whether or not to apply for a certificate, but the horrors that occur without one, well we’re sure you can imagine. You can read about some of them in this BBC article, mostly referring to trans women killed in prisons.

And She Continues…

So, after Rowling has said all of the things above, she goes on to say:

‘It isn’t enough for women to be trans allies. Women must accept and admit that there is no material difference between trans women and themselves. I believe the majority of trans-identified people not only pose zero threat to others, but are vulnerable for all the reasons I’ve outlined. Trans people need and deserve protection. Like women, they’re most likely to be killed by sexual partners.

So I want trans women to be safe. At the same time, I do not want to make natal girls and women less safe. When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman – and, as I’ve said, gender confirmation certificates may now be granted without any need for surgery or hormones – then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside. That is the simple truth.’

Wow. So, she is now saying there’s no material difference, even though she’s previously agreed with Maya about trans women being biological men. Confused? Us too.

She then goes on to say that she wants trans women to be safe, but if we let any old ‘man’ in the women’s loos then we’re opening the door to all men.

What now?!

Where to Pee?

Firstly, let us start by saying, trans women are women, not men.

Secondly, she keeps referring and generalising, basically saying, cis women’s safety and rights outweigh the safety and rights of trans women. She is happy to put trans women at risk, by blocking access to toilets, changing rooms, and who knows what other ‘women only’ spaces, as long as cis women are safe.

We’d like to know, where the heck are trans women supposed to go to the toilet if they can’t go to the women’s bathroom? Will companies have to make a third toilet, just for trans peeps? Because, that sounds like segregation to us…

Also, why does Rowling think ‘women only’ toilets are safe?! We’ve witnessed many a fight in the women’s loos, and we both know from experience, that if a man wants to do something to a woman, he will!

She is Not Alone In Her Experience of Trauma

We have both experienced traumatic and distressing interactions at the hands (literally) of men, and it’s never occurred in a public bathroom or a changing room. It’s happened in broad daylight, because these type of men do not need to go to the lengths of pretending to transition to attack women. They’re already doing it!

Rowling’s use of domestic abuse to justify her beliefs and ideas are, quite frankly, unfair to any woman who has experienced domestic violence. She does not speak for all those women, as highlighted by Hayley from Sparkles and Stretchmarks (check her out over on Instagram).

Online Abuse

Don’t get me wrong, we’re not condoning hurting or threatening Rowling; any kind of cyber bullying should not be tolerated. What we are trying to say is, please look at the actual facts, listen to actual scientists and gender specialist doctors. Stop relying on an author (who wrote a trans character like this) to tell you what to think when it comes to trans issues and women only spaces…

Because, as Bonnie Wright so rightly states:

‘Trans Women are Women’

Thank you for your time, love, and support. If you’d like to follow our journey, you can follow us over on Instagram.

Kelly & Zoey xxx