Author J.K. Rowling has undeniably given the world one of the best, most magical books of all time. The Harry Potter franchise has found its place in every household and rightly so. However, J.K. Rowling’s views on transgenders caught the eye of fans who weren’t at all happy with the author’s anti-trans stance. J.K. Rowling remains under fire thanks to her views and even Harry Potter actors spoke up against her.
Now, the author has found herself in yet another controversy as she took to Twitter to once again put her anti-trans views out in the open. As we all know how the Internet works, J.K. Rowling found herself on the receiving end of the wrath of Twitter users who don’t play around.
J.K. Rowling is Once Again in the Middle of a Controversy
The best-selling author, J.K. Rowling once again became the center of attention and for all the wrong reasons. Recently a Twitter user praised Rowling for funding a center for sexual assault and r*pe victims. The catch here is that the center funded by Rowling is one that does not serve trans women. Rowling replied to the user’s tweet stating, “Merry Terfmas.”
Now, why is this problematic? Well, the term “Merry Terfmas” is a play on both Merry Christmas and the acronym “TERF” which stands for, “Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist.” The term is characterized as a slur or hate speech which means that the person who identifies as a TERF doesn’t believe in trans women being considered real women. According to TERFs, trans women simply do not fall into the narrative of feminism and they even call for the exclusion of trans women from women’s public spaces.
It goes without saying that Rowling’s anti-trans tweet was not tolerated by fans of the Harry Potter franchise who are now wondering if they can even enjoy their favorite magical franchise that was created by a person with such views.
This certainly isn’t the first time Rowling was under fire for her views and it looks like it won’t be the last. Despite actors, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Eddie Redmayne speaking up against the author and a ton of fans denouncing her, Rowling seems to be set on her views of the trans community.
What is Beira’s Place?
Beira’s Place is a center for women who are survivors of r*pe and sexual harassment in Edinburgh, completely funded by the Harry Potter author. Both the center and Rowling have been on the receiving end of harsh criticism as not only does the center refuse to accommodate trans women in its facility, but it also doesn’t allow them to work there, hiring only cisgender women.
The center, which is named after the Scottish goddess of winter, also stated that when appropriate they will refer men and people who identify as trans women to other facilities in the area, “Of which there are several.”
Beira’s place isn’t a registered charity of Scotland, thus it does not accept donations, receiving its entire funding from Rowling herself.
Source: Twitter
