Rowling and Tennant clash over transgender rights debate
J.K. Rowling has often been criticized for holding transphobic views. The author of Harry Potter frequently engages in discussions with people holding more liberal views. She has already targeted Daniel Radcliffe and David Tennant.
9:32 AM EDT, July 1, 2024
Rowling has been criticizing those fighting against transphobia for years. The "Harry Potter" author has been repeatedly called out by stars of the series, including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson. She has been accused of transphobia since at least 2018. A few years ago, she mocked the term "people who menstruate." She also defended a fired civil servant who had said that trans women, even after medical gender correction, are men. On another occasion, she outright stated that women who have transitioned are not women. Things became so unpleasant around Rowling that she was cut from promoting a program commemorating the 20th anniversary of the film "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
Rowling vs Tennant
The topic returns like a boomerang. David Tennant had a small role in the "Harry Potter" series as Barty Crouch Jr., one of the Death Eaters. He appeared in "The Goblet of Fire." The actor has been in a relationship with Georgia Moffett since 2011; they have a son named Ty. The "Doctor Who" star has frequently supported the LGBTQ+ community, especially in the United Kingdom, his homeland. Tennant recently participated in the British LGBT Awards.
During interviews, he commented on recent statements by a British politician who said she would seek to ban transgender women from using women's restrooms and playing on women's sports teams. Tennant remarked that such individuals should "shut up." During the same event, he was also asked about other critics of the transgender community. “A bunch of little, whining bastards who are on the wrong side of history, but soon all of them will be gone," he said.
As the saying goes, "strike while the iron is hot," Rowling took the opportunity to comment. The writer, who mainly publishes her controversial opinions on Twitter, reposted the actor's words from her feed and added:
"This man is talking about rape survivors who want female-only care, the nurses currently suing their health trust for making them change in front of a man, girls and women losing sporting opportunities to males and female prisoners incarcerated with convicted sex offenders."
Rowling also added that Tennant is one of the "gender Taliban," commenting on his actions.
