King Princess criticises J.K. Rowling’s transphobic tweets

King Princess – real name Mikaela Straus – has criticised J.K. Rowling’s recent transphobic comments against trans women in a post on Instagram.

Last weekend, Rowling criticised an article on Twitter for using the term “people who menstruate” instead of women. She then proceeded to write a string of tweets claiming the push for trans rights would erase the concept of sex and, subsequently, the lived experience of women.

LGBTQ charity GLAAD has since commented that Rowling “continues to align herself with an ideology which willfully distorts facts about gender identity and people who are trans” and said there was no excuse for it in 2020.

Rowling’s Twitter thread led to a significant amount of backlash online. In her Instagram post, Straus, a queer woman, said the trans rights movement does not undermine anyone’s womanhood. She also pointed out how many young queer people had found comfort in the Harry Potter franchise.

“Do you see that by talking you are refusing to listen to a group of people are being murdered, beaten, and left unprotected by the law everyday. Because I know, and so many others know that you, as a white cisgender woman, have had a lot more years of systematic privilege and power than trans folks,” Straus said.

“Separating cis women from trans women is exactly what allows this systematic privilege/hierarchy to continue. So please ask yourself why you are talking, why you are disrupting this movement with your confusing words, and why, as a writer, you feel the need to attack a group of people who most likely sustained your business for many years.”

View this post on Instagram

I am not the person you will find calling out people on the internet, but that being said this one is personal. JK Rowling …why I find your comments so disconcerting … damn there are so many reasons. First of all, I don’t think especially now, that you realize the accidental queer haven you created in your books for so many kids within the lgbt spectrum. Right now you are telling countless trans/femme kids that they basically didn’t deserve to be a part of that Utopia. That you pretty much negate the presence of their identities in this world. And the worst part of all is that you feel attacked? You feel like your womanhood is attacked by a movement towards trans equality? What does this AT ALL have to do with you and your womanhood and why do you feel so angry? Are you scared that the inclusion of trans femme people somehow erases you? Do you see the swarths of cisgender white woman agreeing with you on twitter and basically unifying over the erasure or trans bodies? Do you see that by talking you are refusing to listen to a group of people are being murdered, beaten, and left unprotected by the law everyday. Because I know, and so many others know that you, as a white cis gender woman, have had a lot more years of systematic privilege and power than trans folks. Separating cis women from trans women is exactly what allows this systematic privilege/hierarchy to continue. So please ask yourself why you are talking, why you are disrupting this movement with your confusing words, and why, as a writer, you feel the need to attack a group of people who most likely sustained your business for many years. Bye

A post shared by miss king (@kingprincess69) on Jun 7, 2020 at 2:56pm PDT

Halsey, Jameela Jamil, Sarah Paulson, Jonathan Van Ness and Daniel Radcliffe, among other celebrities, have also spoken out against Rowling’s remarks.

In his statement, published by The Trevor Project, Radcliffe said “transgender women are women” and “any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo [Rowling] or I”.

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