In J.K. Rowling’s New Book, a Creator Gets Canceled for Transphobia and Racism

Rowling insists that the plot was not in any way inspired by personal experience.

Who among us hasn’t thought to themselves, “Man, I sure wish a once beloved children’s author would bravely tackle the pressing issues of cancel culture and social justice warriors in a 1,000 page novel.” Lucky for us, J.K. Rowling — sorry, Robert Galbraith — penned a new novel, The Ink Black Heart, that fits that bill to a T. And although Rowling insists the book is not personal, it bears some striking resemblances to her own life, including some controversies she’s started online.

The novel tells the story of one Edie Ledwell, the creator of a popular YouTube cartoon, who asks a private detective for help with an anonymous online harasser named “Anomie,” Rolling Stone reports. Specifically, the cartoon gets criticized for being racist, ableist, and transphobic, including a specific incident of a “hermaphroditic worm.” While these broader topics do not necessarily indicate that the book marks Rowling’s pivot to autofiction, Ledwell is also specifically “doxxed with photos of her home plastered on the internet” and “subjected to death and rape threats for having an opinion.” The former actually did happen to Rowling, although again, whether that was “doxxing” is debatable. Rowling has also many times mentioned that she has gotten death and rape threats in conjunction with defending her stance on trans people.

In the book, Ledwell isn’t taken seriously by the private detectives, which also happened to Rowling when the Scottish Police agreed that she hadn’t been doxxed. Naturally, she’s found murdered in a cemetery mere days later. The detectives then seemingly learn their lesson about not believing women, and they become embroiled in the search for Anomie’s true identity.

Rowling recently went on The Graham Norton Radio Show to assert that the similarities to her own life were a coincidence. “I should make it really clear after some of the things that have happened the last year that this is not depicting [that],” Rowling said. “I had written the book before certain things happened to me online. I said to my husband, ‘I think everyone is going to see this as a response to what happened to me,’ but it genuinely wasn’t. The first draft of the book was finished at the point certain things happened.”

Quidditch Has Rebranded to Distance Itself from J.K. Rowling’s Transphobia

It will now be known as quadball.

We’re sure that the book isn’t autobiographical in the same way that her previous Robert Galbraith book isn’t transphobic. In response to accusations that a “cross-dressing” serial killer character in her last book was a transmisogynist trope, Rowling hit back and said that the character was based on two separate real-life murderers, both of whom served as inspiration for the similarly transmisogynistic character of Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs.

Rowling has also denied that her pen name Robert Galbraith is a nod to famous conversion therapist Robert Galbraith Heath, instead saying that it was inspired by Robert F. Kennedy and “Ella Galbraith,” a name she called herself when she was young.

That’s an awful lot of coincidences for this book to overcome, but we’re sure Rowling, whose net worth is over $1 billion, will be just fine.

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source: By James Factora  www.them.us

Books: JK Rowling’s latest book is about a murderous cis man who dresses as a woman to kill his victims

A new book penned by JK Rowling finds her private detective protagonist, Cormoran Strike, investigating a cis male serial killer who dresses as a woman to kill his cis female victims, according to an early write-up. 

ph. JK Rowling. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)

The first review for Troubled Blood describes it as a “book whose moral seems to be: never trust a man in a dress”.

According to The Telegraph, the “meat” of the 900-page novel is an investigation into a cold case: the disappearance of a woman in 1974, believed to be a victim of a cis male serial killer whose modus operandi is dressing as a woman.

“One wonders what critics of Rowling’s stance on trans issues will make of [the] book,” writes reviewer Jake Kerridge.

Troubled Blood is the fifth entry in Rowling’s Cormoran Strike series, penned under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

The second in the series, The Silkworm, has previously been criticised over its depiction of a trans character described as “unstable and aggressive”.

In the book, the woman, Pippa, stalks Strike before attempting to stab him.

After the attack the titular detective manages to trap Pippa in his office, where her trans identity and deadname are revealed. At this point, JK Rowling describes the character’s Adam’s apple and hands, with the Strike character warning her that prison “won’t be fun for you… Not pre-op”.

Trans journalist Katelyn Burns reviewed the passage for them in 2018, writing: “It’s an entirely common though insulting trope about trans women – that they are aggressive and unable to overcome their masculine nature, not to mention villainous – that has become all too common from cisgender authors with only a passing knowledge of trans people.”

PinkNews has contacted JK Rowling’s representatives for comment.

source: Reiss Smith    www.pinknews.co.uk

Daniel Radcliffe > Responds to J.K. Rowling’s Tweets on Gender Identity

I realize that certain press outlets will probably want to paint this as in-fighting between J.K. Rowling and myself, but that is really not what this is about, nor is it what’s important right now. While Jo is unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken, as someone who has been honored to work with and continues to contribute to The Trevor Project for the last decade, and just as a human being, I feel compelled to say something at this moment.

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. According to The Trevor Project, 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported being the subject of discrimination due to their gender identity. It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm.

I am still learning how to be a better ally, so if you want to join me in learning more about transgender and nonbinary identities check out The Trevor Project’s Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth. It’s an introductory educational resource that covers a wide range of topics, including the differences between sex and gender, and shares best practices on how to support transgender and nonbinary people.

To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you. If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe, capable of overcoming anything; if they taught you that strength is found in diversity, and that dogmatic ideas of pureness lead to the oppression of vulnerable groups; if you believe that a particular character is trans, nonbinary, or gender fluid, or that they are gay or bisexual; if you found anything in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any time in your life — then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred. And in my opinion nobody can touch that. It means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much.
Love always,
Dan
source:  By Daniel Radcliffe  www.thetrevorproject.org

This Is Why J.K. Rowling Is Being Accused Of Transphobia (Again)

J.K. Rowling is once again being called out for transphobia follow a series of provocative and exclusionary tweets. Photo: Getty Images.

The Harry Potter author posted a tweet on Saturday night in which she appeared to take issue with the phrase "people who menstruate" in an article by Devex, a media outlet which covers global development news.

"I'm sure there used to be a word for those people," she wrote, adding: "Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?"

This is why I'm glad I'm not judging the competition, because I'd want to put them all in! It's pure pleasure for me to see all the different interpretations of the characters and scenes! #TheIckabog https://t.co/hX1aEhjr4M

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020

As many people on Twitter pointed out, Rowling's tweet seems deliberately designed to exclude trans, non-binary and non-gender conforming people who can also menstruate.

.@jk_rowling These times are hard enough without YOU, a wealthy white woman, tweeting transphobia from your mansion.

Trans people really don't need your bullshit right now. Do us all a favour and give it a rest.

To say that you're a disappointment is an understatement #TERF https://t.co/oFekQHIqCs

— Black Lives Matter ✊🏾 (@MunroeBergdorf) June 7, 2020

every time JK Rowling says something transphobic let's donate the cost of a book to a charity she would hate

— Brymatica (@BryonyCloud) June 6, 2020

Says a lot that as soon as I call out @jk_rowling for perpetuating transphobic ideas, my mentions are instantly flooded with people calling me a “man” & “freak.” These are your followers. This is the behavior & language you embolden. Stop shrugging it off & take responsibility.

— Serena Daniari (@serenajazmine) June 7, 2020

Author Juno Dawson cut to the core of the problem with Rowling's tweet when she wrote: "We’re in a global pandemic. We’re protesting police brutality and racial injustice, and the most famous author in the world is twisting linguistic pretzels to say 'trans women are not women'".

We’re in a global pandemic. We’re protesting police brutality and racial injustice, and the most famous author in the world is twisting linguistic pretzels to say “trans women are not women”.

Honestly, I’m exhausted.

I can’t believe imma have to block her for my mental health.

— Juno Dawson (@junodawson) June 6, 2020

We are in a pandemic and in the struggle to uphold the importance of black lives, including black trans lives. There could be no worse time for her to present her Dolores Umbridge nonsense

— shon faye. (@shonfaye) June 6, 2020

Rowling then tried to defend her initial tweet by clinging to a binary conception of gender based on biological sex.

She wrote: "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.

She continued: "The idea that women like me, who’ve been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they’re vulnerable in the same way as women - ie, to male violence - ‘hate’ trans people because they think sex is real and has lived consequences - is a nonsense."

 

This isn't the first time Rowling has been accused of displaying views which align with those of anti-trans feminists. Rowling was previously called out for transphobia in December when she voiced support for a British researcher who lost her job after tweeting that a person cannot change their biological sex. 

 

On Twitter, many people including Queer Eye's Jonathan Van Ness pointed out that – if you can afford it – now is an apt time to donate to Black trans people, who are still not receiving anything close to the structural and financial support they need.

Thanks for the reminder to donate to the Homeless Black Trans Women fund @jk_rowling https://t.co/MnVmQU2kUy

— Jonathan Van Ness (@jvn) June 7, 2020

And Harry Potter fans disappointed by Rowling's views can at least take solace in the knowledge that Emma Watson does not share them.

source:  written by Nick Levine    www.refinery29.com