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Harry Potter author JK Rowling comes UNDER FIRE for her comments on the transgender community
The Harry Potter author JK Rowling is receiving backlash for her comments on the transgender community after posting lengthy statements on Twitter, sharing her thoughts on conversion therapy, mental health and trans people. Read the author's controversial tweets below.
J.K. Rowling is receiving criticism for speaking out about the transgender community again. On Sunday, July 5, the Harry Potter author took to Twitter to share her opinions on how "we are watching a new kind of conversion therapy for young gay people." The 54-year-old writer's series of tweets ignited when someone suggested that she had "liked" a tweet that claimed people on "mental health medication" were "lazy." "I've ignored fake tweets attributed to me and RTed widely. I've ignored porn tweeted at children on a thread about their art. I've ignored death and rape threats. I'm not going to ignore this," Rowling responded to the claim.
"When you lie about what I believe about mental health medication and when you misrepresent the views of a trans woman for whom I feel nothing but admiration and solidarity, you cross a line," she continued. "I've written and spoken about my own mental health challenges, which include OCD, depression and anxiety. I did so recently in my essay 'TERF Wars.' I've taken antidepressants in the past and they helped me. Many health professionals are concerned that young people struggling with their mental health are being shunted towards hormones and surgery when this may not be in their best interests," she stated.
Adding, "Many, myself included, believe we are watching a new kind of conversion therapy for young gay people, who are being set on a lifelong path of medicalization that may result in the loss of their fertility and/or full sexual function." "As I've said many times, transition may be the answer for some. For others, it won't—witness the accounts of detransitioners," Rowling wrote. "The long-term health risks of cross-sex hormones have been now been tracked over a lengthy period. These side-effects are often minimized or denied by trans activists." She closed her thread, "None of that may trouble you or disturb your belief in your own righteousness. But if so, I can't pretend I care much about your bad opinion of me."
The Harry Potter author also shared a couple of studies and articles she believed further explained her point. However, many felt her tweets were insensitive and harmful to the transgender community. Trans activist and model, Munroe Bergdorf, responded to Rowling's tweets. "Not once has @jk_rowling stopped to think about the damage she is doing to the mental health of trans kids. Not supporting a trans kids transition doesn't stop them from being trans," the model shared. "If anything forcing them to live as a gender they don't identify as is conversion therapy." YouTuber Kat Blaque expressed, "Why does JK Rowling need to keep reminding the world that she doesn't see transgender people's genders as valid? I hate to say this but trans folks who take hormones, have surgeries etc, KNOW their biology isn't similar to the cis folks who share their gender."
