-- -- -- -- --
TL;DR
-- -- -- -- --
It's likely of no surprise to many here at this point that J.K. Rowling is a bigot, but unless you follow it it can be hard to keep track of what she's done, who she's inspired, who they in turn support or are supported by, and what the culmination of these things has been. This thread will aim to shed a light on this, in addition to tracking the Gender Critical movement in the UK at large as it continues to grow and influence everyone from the public to politicians, lawmakers, celebrities and regulatory organisations. For now though, it's probably easiest to start with a summary of who J.K. Rowling is in 2022.
J.K. Rowling is someone who:
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
What is 'Gender Critical'?
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Self-described Gender Critical [GC] people are, in short, transphobes who couch their bigotry in concerns over women's rights. They consistently fall back on the reasoning that trans women cannot have the rights we do, and those we aim to achieve, without it coming at the expense of the hard-fought rights of cisgender women. That by virtue of having access to women's spaces, we pose a danger to them and that they are made vulnerable as a consequence. They consistently argue against the spread of 'gender ideology' or 'trans ideology' as a shorthand for trans people and the trans community, as openly calling for the end of a people directly is more frowned upon (though as we will see later, something some do not shy away from).
It is important to note at this point that trans women in the UK already have the right to women's spaces under the Equality Act of 2010, and this is not bound by medical or surgical intervention but instead the self-determination of the person indicated by going through some form of transition, even social. This is not commonly understood though, and one success of the GC movement has been in convincing the public both that this is a new threat that has yet to come to pass (often fear-mongered as GRA reform or Self-ID) or that trans people ourselves are a new phenomenon. A trend; something inspired by TikTok and a soft youth. We also see the suggestion, as from Rowling herself, that transition is a new form of conversion therapy. Aiming to coerce young gay men and women into becoming straight by transitioning to another gender – this is where many of the accusations of homophobia come from.
As the movement grows, the 'concerns' become increasingly thin and the bigotry more apparent. Other reasons contend that trans people:
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
The British Press
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
It goes without saying that such arguments, as with any bigotry, rely heavily on ignorance in order to thrive, and trans people are the perfect target when we only make up ~1% of the population. The fact is that most people do not know a trans person, and have never interacted with one. So they get their understanding from the news, and the wider media. As most will not take an active interest in either sense, their baseline assumptions are made through osmosis from headlines, and how we're presented or discussed in films and other media. Which means that most people's starting point will be inherently transphobic even if not consciously so, as the media has historically sought to present us as either something to be disgusted by, or something to be mocked and for our identities to not be taken seriously.
This is far from just a historical point though. Over the past number of years the British press has made a concerted effort to vilify trans people and our lives. Boosting Gender Critical voices and all the rhetoric that comes with them, even going as far as to call them the most significant women's movement since the Suffragettes. This attack is further made clear when looking at the data, as this twitter thread shows (I recommend clicking through and reading the full thing):
View: https://twitter.com/mimmymum/status/1578411876488126465?s=20&t=jPQ02kjIEzM7CObXYCEyqQ
As we make up such a small percentage of the population, we simply lack the numbers to combat the rhetoric of the Gender Critical movement when it is being backed by the entire media apparatus of the country. Media that has repeatedly been exposed as institutionally transphobic, right down to the BBC.
It doesn't stop with the media though...
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
The UK Government
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
The UK Government is transphobic. In both their actions and their rhetoric. The recent conservative party leadership campaign saw all primary candidates rely on transphobic commentary and GC talking points in order to try and curry favour from the public:
www.varsity.co.uk
www.indiependent.co.uk
We have also seen direct intervention from them as in the case of the Financial Conduct Authority, who had planned to recommend pro-trans policies to the 58,000 businesses it regulates. The UK Government intervened by writing letters to the FCA pushing back on their proposed moves, and subsequently worked to block Freedom of Information requests after the fact to cover up their involvement and that of the EHRC.
www.vice.com
The EHRC – that is, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, so we all understand the full irony – are themselves institutionally transphobic:
www.vice.com
Yes, this is the same Liz Truss who currently sits at the head of the UK Government as our prime minister. Who has taken her transphobia with her into office, and now seeks to try and undermine Scotland's commendable attempt to fully reform the Gender Recognition Act for their trans citizens:
www.vice.com
Which just happened to coincide with the backlash from the Gender Critical community on Scottish GRA reform weeks prior. This hate movement has influenced everyone from the general public to those holding public office.
So it should be evident that the outlook for trans people in the UK is looking bleak at best, and this is unlikely to change anytime soon as transphobia is not a partisan concept. It is still very much an issue within the Labour party, and the Green Party. It seems the best we can hope for with a change of party is less harm, rather than any actual progress on our issues or quelling of the GC movement. This all sits within the context that the UK is in the middle of a healthcare crisis for trans people, where we face waiting times of 5 years just for a referral for a first appointment on hormones. As such I'd suggest there isn't free healthcare for many trans people in this country, not in any reasonable sense. Especially when stories of people being withheld access to gender-affirming care for not wearing a dress (in the case of trans women) or similar are far from uncommon. We must convince people of our identity at every turn in order to be allowed to live as who we are.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Boosting the signal
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
This issue didn't arrive overnight though. It was boosted and championed by people with enough reach and popularity to convince others that the Gender Critical movement is a valid cause. A fight where the rights of women and girls hang in the balance, threatened by a group of men looking for yet another avenue of dominance over them. This, I contend, is where JK Rowling came in. She is seen as, and treated as, the figurehead of this movement by media and followers alike. We have already covered the main points surrounding her in the opening, but I want to delve a little deeper into how she was so convincing.
J.K. Rowling
--------------------------
If the Gender Critical movement was a cult, and you could contend it is, then JK Rowling is the leader. Lunches are held in her name, she is the string that ties many of the associated personalities together, she helps fund and support people affiliated directly with far-right groups, is championed by the press as the key defender of women's rights, and dedicates almost all of her online presence to manipulating people with misinformation about trans people. She has not only been championing the rhetoric, but creating it since day one. For anyone who's followed her movements in this regard over the past few years, it is clear that she has been pivotal in the pipeline of extreme opinions entering the mainstream. Where in 2019 it was once merely a discussion of how trans people could sleep with whoever will have us, now constant comparisons are made between us and sex offenders and those who would seek to prey on children. Even going as far as to deny seeing us as a minority. Where before it was standing up for a woman unafraid to say 'sex is real', now she congratulates self-described fascists who regard us as one of the greatest evils in human history, and selectively chooses people to respond to with kind messages who have previously said things like they will drive us out to the desert and bury us 9 feet deep after setting us on fire and pissing on us. Something that could be brushed off as coincidence until you recognise the pattern of it happening multiple times.
The adoration, wealth, fame and following of the Harry Potter franchise has given her unparalleled access to the hearts of many, and the presumption of good intent. At the time of writing this she has some 14 million followers on Twitter. She weaponises the franchise and the respect of the fans it affords her in order to push anti-trans disinformation and further entrench the notion that trans women are an existential threat to the rights of women. This isn't just my opinion either, it's something she's been called out for by charities and organisations tracking LGBTQ+ sentiment as being a prime motivator for transphobia in Britain. She is consciously cunning in doing so. This wasn't a blunder down the rabbit hole, it was an active and malicious progression. Starting with subtle dog whistles and progressing her dialogue slowly over time as each point is taken, adopted and boosted by the media. It is testimony to the success of this that even today with all she puts out, she is still defended as a feminist whose main interest is in the safety and security of women and girls.
As she knows she can't leap the rhetoric forward too much with any given step, she has instead relied upon boosting and supporting people who do not have such a concern. Leading those 14 million followers toward people and organisations who are more extreme in their views and positions, while still being able to lean back on not quoting or pushing it directly for anyone who's not quite there on the pipeline.
So who are these people? Let's lift the lid on a few:
Allison Bailey and the LGB Alliance
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allison Bailey is a founder of the LGB Alliance. An anti-trans organisation recognised as a hate group in its own right, while also being given charity status by the government. Someone that Rowling frequently champions and goes as far as to describe as a heroine of hers. In turn Bailey often relies upon her connection to Rowling to curry favour for her and her actions, including donations toward her to aid in her court case against the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall. A court case that saw gender critical (read: transphobic) views become protected within the workplace. The LGB Alliance themselves are involved in lobbying the Government and organisations to block trans-positive regulation and legislation:
In addition, Allison herself has made it clear that the GC movement should welcome racists and homophobes as a necessary element in order to prevent women's rights from disappearing.
Helen Joyce
--------------------------
Helen Joyce, a staple at gender critical gatherings and someone Rowling has retweeted in the past, has little use for a mask at this point. She is a cisgender straight woman who feels confident enough to write a book about trans people, discuss us with Jordan Peterson, cut the trans, intersex and racial aspects off of the Progress flag and openly state that her aim is to reduce the number of trans people, as we are a problem to the world and the fewer of us there are the better it would be for a sane world:
View: https://twitter.com/joss_prior/status/1532511819583062025
Kellie-Jay Keen (Posie Parker)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Kellie-Jay is an unabashed fascist who holds rallies across the country that openly invite and court the far-right. Someone that for a long time seemed too extreme for Rowling to promote, lest she give the game away, but now who openly sports the anti-trans t-shirts she designs (and promotes under Rowling's tweets) and tweets in favour of her rallies. Distorting them from the explicit anti-trans rants they are and sanitising them to her followers as pro-lesbian marches and women's rights speakers. Here is what she recently had to say on her podcast about trans people:
View: https://twitter.com/lgbwiththet/status/1568379412491522049
It isn't just hate groups, journalists and pundits though, we also have lawmakers and politicians:
Baroness Nicholson
------------------------------------------
Baroness Nicholson is a member of the House of Lords and is able to directly influence law in the UK. She is against same-sex marriage, homosexuality in general, supports legislation seeking to restrict abortion rights, and refers to Black trans women as weird creatures. In addition to being extremely transphobic on a consistent basis, so much so that she was dropped by the Booker Prize. She also openly pushes for repealing the rights we have under the Equality Act.
Yet she remains a fond friend of JK Rowling, who frequently responds and jokes with her, and boosts her tweets when they focus on persuading other MPs to roll back our rights.
In addition to her, we also have MP's like Joanne Cherry who openly advocated for torture (as described by the Human Rights Council) and Rosie Duffield, who refers to trans women as male-bodied people and pushes anti-trans sentiment within the Labour party.
I will expand this list with others over time, but if you are interested in more detail on this side of things, Shaun recently did a brilliant unwrapping of them and other far-right connections to Rowling. I highly recommend giving it a watch:
www.youtube.com
-----------
These are the people J.K. Rowling is comfortable pointing her 14 million followers toward, both directly and indirectly. Fans of Harry Potter, both new and old, who hold her words with more weight and love her for the stories they enjoy are being fed transphobic propaganda, made to believe that trans people's existence is a threat to women's rights and the safety of children, spurred into action and pointed toward fascist extremists and far-right hate groups.
She continues to spearhead the Gender Critical movement and has helped give credibility and a veil to transphobic rhetoric. A movement that has grown to be so popular that it has been pushed by lawmakers and the UK Government, and broadcast every day in headlines, interviews, articles and podcasts by the British media. We are 1% of the population, we have no voice, no ability to effectively combat this ill. Which is why we are losing ground, and people's perceptions on us and our rights are being turned:
Full poll results
We risk losing our access to healthcare, our safety and our ability to exist as ourselves, and precious few people are bothering to speak out against it. Those that do, are attacked by these Gender Critical fanatics and maligned as misogynists. Yet we need more people to speak up. We are where we are because of the silence of others. People are dying because of the silence of others. It isn't enough to dismiss this as people being offended, or tolerate transphobic pipelines because they're attached to media or comedians you enjoy. At some point being an ally means doing something beyond just saying you are. It means doing what little you can to push back, even if it's a bucket of water against a tidal wave to start. Progress for minorities isn't won in a single act, or a single day. You shouldn't only take part if you think success is guaranteed or a large impact delivered, you should do it because you recognise that without the individual a movement isn't made.
✊🏳️⚧️
TL;DR
-- -- -- -- --
It's likely of no surprise to many here at this point that J.K. Rowling is a bigot, but unless you follow it it can be hard to keep track of what she's done, who she's inspired, who they in turn support or are supported by, and what the culmination of these things has been. This thread will aim to shed a light on this, in addition to tracking the Gender Critical movement in the UK at large as it continues to grow and influence everyone from the public to politicians, lawmakers, celebrities and regulatory organisations. For now though, it's probably easiest to start with a summary of who J.K. Rowling is in 2022.
J.K. Rowling is someone who:
- Is treated and seen as the leader of a movement that is recognised as being genocidal in nature.
- Helps drive trans children toward self harm and suicide.
- Openly supports and champions people who call for the genocide of trans people.
- Denies trans people were targeted and persecuted during the Holocaust, a form of holocaust denial.
- Likes a Trump supporter saying trans people being persecuted by the Nazi regime is "made up history".
- States that trans people at large shouldn't have a blanket presumption of innocence around not being sex offenders.
- Vilified a charity for vulnerable children so much they had to close and restrict their services, and withdraw staff over fears for their safety.
- Doesn't believe trans people are natural, and instead that it is a mental illness.
- Supported and praised the anti-trans propaganda video of a self-confessed fascist, who believes we are one of the greatest evils in human history.
- Calls the movement for trans rights an 'authoritarian, misogynistic and homophobic movement'.
- Denies trans people are a minority, plays up trans women as sex offenders and pushes conspiracy theories.
- Drives key support for Allison Bailey and the LGB Alliance – a far-right hate group who are directly working to erode the rights of trans people.
- Sends love to allies of hers responsible for doxxing trans women.
- Helped reduce the ILGA score of the UK by being a prime motivator in increased hostility towards trans people.
- Acts as, and is seen as, the primary figurehead of the anti-trans movement in the UK, one that has seen sentiment toward us erode dramatically since 2020.
- Related transition to being a new form of gay conversion therapy, one that should be further restricted.
- Regularly platforms and boosts lobbying groups and individuals who are working to remove rights of trans people in the UK.
- Led a revolt that saw the most basic reform for Gender Recognition in the UK scrapped, despite a 70% approval rating.
- Openly supports people who are anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage and would prefer AIDS to charities that support trans women and children.
- Added to a pressure that resulted in links to support systems for vulnerable trans children being removed by the BBC.
- Pushed for a move that saw young trans people face further hardships in accessing trans-affirming healthcare.
- Has been cited by foreign politicians in their own bids to restrict trans rights, healthcare access and freedoms.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
What is 'Gender Critical'?
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Self-described Gender Critical [GC] people are, in short, transphobes who couch their bigotry in concerns over women's rights. They consistently fall back on the reasoning that trans women cannot have the rights we do, and those we aim to achieve, without it coming at the expense of the hard-fought rights of cisgender women. That by virtue of having access to women's spaces, we pose a danger to them and that they are made vulnerable as a consequence. They consistently argue against the spread of 'gender ideology' or 'trans ideology' as a shorthand for trans people and the trans community, as openly calling for the end of a people directly is more frowned upon (though as we will see later, something some do not shy away from).
It is important to note at this point that trans women in the UK already have the right to women's spaces under the Equality Act of 2010, and this is not bound by medical or surgical intervention but instead the self-determination of the person indicated by going through some form of transition, even social. This is not commonly understood though, and one success of the GC movement has been in convincing the public both that this is a new threat that has yet to come to pass (often fear-mongered as GRA reform or Self-ID) or that trans people ourselves are a new phenomenon. A trend; something inspired by TikTok and a soft youth. We also see the suggestion, as from Rowling herself, that transition is a new form of conversion therapy. Aiming to coerce young gay men and women into becoming straight by transitioning to another gender – this is where many of the accusations of homophobia come from.
As the movement grows, the 'concerns' become increasingly thin and the bigotry more apparent. Other reasons contend that trans people:
- Present a threat to children, both as groomers and pedophiles
- Are sexual deviants seeking to sexually assault lesbian women
- Are perverts getting off on the thrill of pretending to be women
- Are duped by Big Pharma into a lifetime of needless medical dependency
- Hate young people and are trying to coerce them into self mutilation
- Want access to women's bathrooms and shelters in order to rape them
- Are to women what blackface is to Black people.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
The British Press
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
It goes without saying that such arguments, as with any bigotry, rely heavily on ignorance in order to thrive, and trans people are the perfect target when we only make up ~1% of the population. The fact is that most people do not know a trans person, and have never interacted with one. So they get their understanding from the news, and the wider media. As most will not take an active interest in either sense, their baseline assumptions are made through osmosis from headlines, and how we're presented or discussed in films and other media. Which means that most people's starting point will be inherently transphobic even if not consciously so, as the media has historically sought to present us as either something to be disgusted by, or something to be mocked and for our identities to not be taken seriously.
This is far from just a historical point though. Over the past number of years the British press has made a concerted effort to vilify trans people and our lives. Boosting Gender Critical voices and all the rhetoric that comes with them, even going as far as to call them the most significant women's movement since the Suffragettes. This attack is further made clear when looking at the data, as this twitter thread shows (I recommend clicking through and reading the full thing):
View: https://twitter.com/mimmymum/status/1578411876488126465?s=20&t=jPQ02kjIEzM7CObXYCEyqQ
As we make up such a small percentage of the population, we simply lack the numbers to combat the rhetoric of the Gender Critical movement when it is being backed by the entire media apparatus of the country. Media that has repeatedly been exposed as institutionally transphobic, right down to the BBC.
It doesn't stop with the media though...
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
The UK Government
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
The UK Government is transphobic. In both their actions and their rhetoric. The recent conservative party leadership campaign saw all primary candidates rely on transphobic commentary and GC talking points in order to try and curry favour from the public:
Transphobia is at the centre of the Tory leadership race
The prospect of a government that is explicitly anti-trans is a terrifying reality, says Bella Cross in the latest installation of her column
How the Conservative Leadership Contest is Fuelling British Transphobia
Almost as soon as the Conservative Leadership contest was announced there was concern from the trans community.
www.indiependent.co.uk
We have also seen direct intervention from them as in the case of the Financial Conduct Authority, who had planned to recommend pro-trans policies to the 58,000 businesses it regulates. The UK Government intervened by writing letters to the FCA pushing back on their proposed moves, and subsequently worked to block Freedom of Information requests after the fact to cover up their involvement and that of the EHRC.
Exclusive: UK Government Pushed City Watchdog to Cancel Trans Inclusion Policy
Former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch wrote to the Financial Conduct Authority urging it to rethink plans to allow trans people to self-identify in their workplaces – then the government tried to stop the letter from being released.
www.vice.com
The EHRC – that is, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, so we all understand the full irony – are themselves institutionally transphobic:
Britain’s Equalities Watchdog Met Privately With Anti-Trans Groups
Exclusive: Leaked emails and documents obtained by VICE World News show how senior leaders at the Equality and Human Rights Commission worked to erase trans rights.
www.vice.com
Yes, this is the same Liz Truss who currently sits at the head of the UK Government as our prime minister. Who has taken her transphobia with her into office, and now seeks to try and undermine Scotland's commendable attempt to fully reform the Gender Recognition Act for their trans citizens:
Liz Truss Is Trying to Block Scotland’s Trans Reforms
Exclusive: The new UK prime minister wants to “pause or prevent” the Scottish government’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill, whistleblowers told VICE World News.
www.vice.com
Which just happened to coincide with the backlash from the Gender Critical community on Scottish GRA reform weeks prior. This hate movement has influenced everyone from the general public to those holding public office.
So it should be evident that the outlook for trans people in the UK is looking bleak at best, and this is unlikely to change anytime soon as transphobia is not a partisan concept. It is still very much an issue within the Labour party, and the Green Party. It seems the best we can hope for with a change of party is less harm, rather than any actual progress on our issues or quelling of the GC movement. This all sits within the context that the UK is in the middle of a healthcare crisis for trans people, where we face waiting times of 5 years just for a referral for a first appointment on hormones. As such I'd suggest there isn't free healthcare for many trans people in this country, not in any reasonable sense. Especially when stories of people being withheld access to gender-affirming care for not wearing a dress (in the case of trans women) or similar are far from uncommon. We must convince people of our identity at every turn in order to be allowed to live as who we are.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Boosting the signal
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
This issue didn't arrive overnight though. It was boosted and championed by people with enough reach and popularity to convince others that the Gender Critical movement is a valid cause. A fight where the rights of women and girls hang in the balance, threatened by a group of men looking for yet another avenue of dominance over them. This, I contend, is where JK Rowling came in. She is seen as, and treated as, the figurehead of this movement by media and followers alike. We have already covered the main points surrounding her in the opening, but I want to delve a little deeper into how she was so convincing.
J.K. Rowling
--------------------------
If the Gender Critical movement was a cult, and you could contend it is, then JK Rowling is the leader. Lunches are held in her name, she is the string that ties many of the associated personalities together, she helps fund and support people affiliated directly with far-right groups, is championed by the press as the key defender of women's rights, and dedicates almost all of her online presence to manipulating people with misinformation about trans people. She has not only been championing the rhetoric, but creating it since day one. For anyone who's followed her movements in this regard over the past few years, it is clear that she has been pivotal in the pipeline of extreme opinions entering the mainstream. Where in 2019 it was once merely a discussion of how trans people could sleep with whoever will have us, now constant comparisons are made between us and sex offenders and those who would seek to prey on children. Even going as far as to deny seeing us as a minority. Where before it was standing up for a woman unafraid to say 'sex is real', now she congratulates self-described fascists who regard us as one of the greatest evils in human history, and selectively chooses people to respond to with kind messages who have previously said things like they will drive us out to the desert and bury us 9 feet deep after setting us on fire and pissing on us. Something that could be brushed off as coincidence until you recognise the pattern of it happening multiple times.
The adoration, wealth, fame and following of the Harry Potter franchise has given her unparalleled access to the hearts of many, and the presumption of good intent. At the time of writing this she has some 14 million followers on Twitter. She weaponises the franchise and the respect of the fans it affords her in order to push anti-trans disinformation and further entrench the notion that trans women are an existential threat to the rights of women. This isn't just my opinion either, it's something she's been called out for by charities and organisations tracking LGBTQ+ sentiment as being a prime motivator for transphobia in Britain. She is consciously cunning in doing so. This wasn't a blunder down the rabbit hole, it was an active and malicious progression. Starting with subtle dog whistles and progressing her dialogue slowly over time as each point is taken, adopted and boosted by the media. It is testimony to the success of this that even today with all she puts out, she is still defended as a feminist whose main interest is in the safety and security of women and girls.
As she knows she can't leap the rhetoric forward too much with any given step, she has instead relied upon boosting and supporting people who do not have such a concern. Leading those 14 million followers toward people and organisations who are more extreme in their views and positions, while still being able to lean back on not quoting or pushing it directly for anyone who's not quite there on the pipeline.
So who are these people? Let's lift the lid on a few:
Allison Bailey and the LGB Alliance
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Allison Bailey is a founder of the LGB Alliance. An anti-trans organisation recognised as a hate group in its own right, while also being given charity status by the government. Someone that Rowling frequently champions and goes as far as to describe as a heroine of hers. In turn Bailey often relies upon her connection to Rowling to curry favour for her and her actions, including donations toward her to aid in her court case against the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall. A court case that saw gender critical (read: transphobic) views become protected within the workplace. The LGB Alliance themselves are involved in lobbying the Government and organisations to block trans-positive regulation and legislation:
In addition, Allison herself has made it clear that the GC movement should welcome racists and homophobes as a necessary element in order to prevent women's rights from disappearing.
Helen Joyce
--------------------------
Helen Joyce, a staple at gender critical gatherings and someone Rowling has retweeted in the past, has little use for a mask at this point. She is a cisgender straight woman who feels confident enough to write a book about trans people, discuss us with Jordan Peterson, cut the trans, intersex and racial aspects off of the Progress flag and openly state that her aim is to reduce the number of trans people, as we are a problem to the world and the fewer of us there are the better it would be for a sane world:
View: https://twitter.com/joss_prior/status/1532511819583062025
Kellie-Jay Keen (Posie Parker)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Kellie-Jay is an unabashed fascist who holds rallies across the country that openly invite and court the far-right. Someone that for a long time seemed too extreme for Rowling to promote, lest she give the game away, but now who openly sports the anti-trans t-shirts she designs (and promotes under Rowling's tweets) and tweets in favour of her rallies. Distorting them from the explicit anti-trans rants they are and sanitising them to her followers as pro-lesbian marches and women's rights speakers. Here is what she recently had to say on her podcast about trans people:
View: https://twitter.com/lgbwiththet/status/1568379412491522049
It isn't just hate groups, journalists and pundits though, we also have lawmakers and politicians:
Baroness Nicholson
------------------------------------------
Baroness Nicholson is a member of the House of Lords and is able to directly influence law in the UK. She is against same-sex marriage, homosexuality in general, supports legislation seeking to restrict abortion rights, and refers to Black trans women as weird creatures. In addition to being extremely transphobic on a consistent basis, so much so that she was dropped by the Booker Prize. She also openly pushes for repealing the rights we have under the Equality Act.
Yet she remains a fond friend of JK Rowling, who frequently responds and jokes with her, and boosts her tweets when they focus on persuading other MPs to roll back our rights.
In addition to her, we also have MP's like Joanne Cherry who openly advocated for torture (as described by the Human Rights Council) and Rosie Duffield, who refers to trans women as male-bodied people and pushes anti-trans sentiment within the Labour party.
I will expand this list with others over time, but if you are interested in more detail on this side of things, Shaun recently did a brilliant unwrapping of them and other far-right connections to Rowling. I highly recommend giving it a watch:
JK Rowling's New Friends
This all sucks!Content warning: sexual assault, violent threats, all the bigotrySpecial thanks to very good streamer CaseyExplosion for providing useful feed...
www.youtube.com
-----------
These are the people J.K. Rowling is comfortable pointing her 14 million followers toward, both directly and indirectly. Fans of Harry Potter, both new and old, who hold her words with more weight and love her for the stories they enjoy are being fed transphobic propaganda, made to believe that trans people's existence is a threat to women's rights and the safety of children, spurred into action and pointed toward fascist extremists and far-right hate groups.
She continues to spearhead the Gender Critical movement and has helped give credibility and a veil to transphobic rhetoric. A movement that has grown to be so popular that it has been pushed by lawmakers and the UK Government, and broadcast every day in headlines, interviews, articles and podcasts by the British media. We are 1% of the population, we have no voice, no ability to effectively combat this ill. Which is why we are losing ground, and people's perceptions on us and our rights are being turned:
Full poll results
We risk losing our access to healthcare, our safety and our ability to exist as ourselves, and precious few people are bothering to speak out against it. Those that do, are attacked by these Gender Critical fanatics and maligned as misogynists. Yet we need more people to speak up. We are where we are because of the silence of others. People are dying because of the silence of others. It isn't enough to dismiss this as people being offended, or tolerate transphobic pipelines because they're attached to media or comedians you enjoy. At some point being an ally means doing something beyond just saying you are. It means doing what little you can to push back, even if it's a bucket of water against a tidal wave to start. Progress for minorities isn't won in a single act, or a single day. You shouldn't only take part if you think success is guaranteed or a large impact delivered, you should do it because you recognise that without the individual a movement isn't made.
✊🏳️⚧️
Last edited:
