ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

J.K. Rowling Explains Why She 'Liked' A Transphobic Tweet

Nick Levine
25 March 2018, 11:17
Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images.
A representative for J.K. Rowling has responded after followers noticed that the Harry Potter author had appeared to like a transphobic tweet.
Potter fans were understandably disappointed when the writer, who has previously shown a lot support for the LGBTQ+ community, was seen liking a tweet that referred to trans women as "men in dresses".
Rowling subsequently un-liked the tweet, but by this point, screen grabs of her like were already being shared on Twitter.
Many fans expressed their dismay, with one writing that she was "really saddened to see [Rowling] supporting blatant transphobic rhetoric".
Writer, comedian and activist Shon Faye tweeted: "Trans culture is seeing the beloved author of your generation like a transphobic tweet from a troll account which has repeatedly called you a man."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
 
Rowling has since said through a representative that she liked the tweet by accident. “I’m afraid J.K. Rowling had a clumsy and middle-aged moment and this is not the first time she has favourited by holding her phone incorrectly," the spokesperson told LGBTQ+ website PinkNews. Let's hope it's a mistake the beloved author doesn't make again.
Rowling has previously spoken out in support of the LGBTQ+ community on numerous occasions. When a follower tweeted the author to say they were having trouble grasping the fact that Harry Potter's headmaster Dumbledore is gay, she gave the perfect response.
However, fans were disappointed to learn in January that Dumbledore will not be portrayed as "explicitly" gay in the sequel to Fantastic Beasts.
The author has also faced criticism for defending the casting of Johnny Depp in the sequel following accusations of domestic abuse against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
"Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies," Rowling wrote in a blog post in December.
Read These Stories Next
How ‘Pretty Privilege’ Feels For Trans Women
Explaining My 'They' Pronoun To My Parents
8 Photos Show What It's Like To Be Young & Trans
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT

More from Entertainment

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT