For an Author, J.K. Rowling Cannot Read a Room
THE GUEST LIST: Op-Ed: Marianne Palacios
I will never forget July 21st, 2007 when at 12:01 am, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released. I stayed up until the early hours of the morning to finish it. I had waited ten years to read the story’s conclusion, and I still remember it as the most significant seven hours of my life.
I love the Harry Potter series more than anyone I know. My apartment might as well be the Gryffindor common room. I am an unapologetic fan of the books that changed my life. They taught me to love myself, to love my friends, and to fight against tyranny and fascism. “The weapon we have is love,” a lyric from Harry and the Potters, a popular Wizard Rock band, proclaims. These books taught us that magic is real, and friendship and love have the power to defeat evil.
The lessons I took from the Harry Potter books are why I must speak out against J.K. Rowling’s recent transphobic statements. Amidst a global pandemic and worldwide protests for Black Lives Matters, Rowling has decided that now is the time for her to voice her opinions on sex and semantics. People are dying and this is what she’s choosing to focus on. For an author, she certainly cannot read the room. Fans are calling Rowling a “TERF,” a trans-exclusionary radical feminist, that is, someone who claims that trans women aren’t women.
maam … read the room and post about BLM ! how is this the right time to go off on this ?
— KIM PETRAS 🐩 (@kimpetras) June 6, 2020
In a recent tweet, Rowling took offense with an article that used the phrase, “people who menstruate,” instead of the word “women.” Rowling’s tweet is intentionally transphobic because it rejects the reality that menstruation is not synonymous with being a woman. There are men who menstruate, and women who do not menstruate for a myriad of reasons (post-menopause, pregnancy, etc.) Most dangerous, however, is the implication that if you do not menstruate, you are not actually a woman. For transgender women, who are routinely told they are not “real women,” this discourse is dangerous.
Rowling also tweeted that her comments are validated by her “butch, lesbian” friend. This is a dastardly defense that tokenizes her friendship to prove a point. Having a friend regardless of her identity, who agrees with you does not make your opinion correct.
I, too, am a lesbian. I know that we suffer from underrepresentation and socio-economic injustice. However, this is nothing compared to what my trans and non-binary siblings face. Rowling’s cruel rhetoric sets us against each other and is dangerous and disappointing. Trans and non-binary folks are not the enemies of cisgender lesbians. We are allied in our fight against homophobia, transphobia, and the patriarchy.
Rowling, a straight woman, doesn’t get to voice her opinion in this conversation.
Like their author, the Harry Potter books are not innocent, either. House-elves are described as “happy” in their enslavement, Dumbledore’s queerness is only an afterthought, and child abuse is rampant, both in the muggle and wizarding worlds.
This is not the first time Rowling has tweeted ridiculous nonsense. She’s said transphobic things before, along with other less problematic, but equally stupid, comments (including her memorable tweet about wizards and their weird relationship with toilets and plumbing.)
I lost respect for Rowling many years ago when she retroactively outed Albus Dumbledore after Deathly Hallows had already been published. If she truly cared about representation and being an ally to the LGBTQ community, she would’ve included this in the text, not in an interview months later. Since 2007, she’s also made contradictory statements about characters, approved queer-baiting in The Cursed Child, and written the confusing and poorly received Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them films.
It’s sad to say, but it’s also clear that power and money have influenced Rowling into thinking that she can say and do whatever she wants. It’s almost as if she’s become one of the un-burned faces on the Black Family Tapestry.
So, where do fans go from here?
Well, the books are published. Whatever Rowling has to say about them now is ultimately irrelevant. As YA Author and Vlogbrother John Green repeats, “Books belong to their readers.” The Harry Potter books belong to their readers, and we have spoken: Rowling’s transphobic statements upset, hurt, and offend us. She is wrong.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were children who fought what was right to protect their friends. My favorite books taught me that good will prevail, and you must always stand up to protect those you love. I love Harry Potter and I love my trans and non-binary siblings, which is why I must now stand up and say: J.K. Rowling, shut up. You are on the wrong side of history. Listen to your fans and please delete your twitter. No one needs your transphobic opinions and random thoughts about Malfoy shitting his pants.
SIDE NOTE: Read the Percy Jackson books. Rick Riordan is an actual ally to the LGBTQ community.
