Pete Davidson Calls Out JK Rowling for Being Transphobic
It is not exactly news that J.K Rowling has been quite vocal about her transphobic opinions, much to the disappointment of fans around the world. The controversy started around June, when Rowling retweeted an article discussing menstrual hygiene products, mocking its use of the phrase “people who menstruate”.
‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?
Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate https://t.co/cVpZxG7gaA
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020
Undeterred by the criticism she received in response, she went on:
If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020
She has since made other, increasingly problematic comments online, including a thread saying that “we’re on the brink of a medical scandal” and most recently, the author shared a link on Twitter to a shop selling anti-transgender items, including badges that say “F**k your pronouns” and “Notorious Transphobe”. Earlier this year, Rowling also wrote a personal essay trying to explain her stance on transgender rights. In it she expressed her belief that certain demands by transgender activists present a danger to cis-women. The essay, which some critics called a “transphobic manifesto” earned her considerable backlash online. To make matters worse, last month Rowling released the latest book in her “Cormoran Strike” series. The novel, called “Troubled Blood” is a mystery where (spoiler alert) the murderer is a cis-man who dresses up as a woman in order to kill his victims. Given Rowling’s history, people picked up on the transphobia behind the theme pretty quickly. The novel’s release therefore renewed the controversy surrounding the author, and the hashtag #RIPJKRowling started trending on twitter, with many comments saying that Rowling may still be alive but her career is most likely dead.
in memory of jk rowling. she ain’t dead, but she killed her own career by proudly hating trans people & no one would really miss her that much anyway #ripjkrowling pic.twitter.com/H6akxK0cVv
— patback (@memeforhire) September 14, 2020
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JK Rowling: Continues being an unapologetic TERF
Me: Hopelessly praying that it will soon be revealed that Rowling did not write Harry Potter and in fact Gilderoy Lockharted the work of another writer who is actually a good person so I can enjoy my fav books again #RIPJKRowling pic.twitter.com/PLXfHGPSRu
— G (@gzemcelik) September 14, 2020
Rowling’s hateful comments online also started a trend of pretending that the Harry Potter series had no author, or no one knew who had written it, so that people could enjoy the beloved novels without guilt or without associating it with the writer.
Various celebrities have since spoken out against Rowling’s transphobic tweets. Most noticeably Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, who played the main characters in the Harry Potter movies, expressed their support for the trans community. Daniel Radcliffe wrote: “Transgender women are women. 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 or I.” Rupert told the Times :“I firmly stand with the trans community. Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment.” and Emma Watson tweeted “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.”
Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.
— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) June 10, 2020
Most recently, Pete Davidson called her out in an SNL’s “Weekend Update” segment. You can check it out here
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Davidson echoed a lot of the author’s fans’ (or former fans) feelings about the controversy when he said he was “hurt” by her comments, which he called “very disappointing”. The comedian added “I long for a few years ago, when the worst things she did were those Fantastic Beasts movies. No discrimination there, they harmed us all equally.”
Davidson also joked that he’s never getting another tattoo. He explains that he got a Harry Potter tattoo “because, you know I’m not psychic, I didn’t know J.K Rowling was going to go all Mel Gibson on us!”
The comedian also pointed out how Rowling’s views on trans rights don’t make sense given she is not only a fiction writer, she has authored a series of popular fantasy novels filled with magic and mystical beings. “What’s wrong with her? She creates a seven-book fantasy series about all types of mythical creatures living in harmony with wizards and elves and the one thing she can’t wrap her head around is Laverne Cox?” Davidson joked.
