Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

JK Rowling Reignites Twitter Backlash With Overtly Transphobic Tweet About 'Penised Individuals'

JK Rowling Reignites Twitter Backlash With Overtly Transphobic Tweet About 'Penised Individuals'
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

JK Rowling once again riled fans online with a transphobic remark.

This time, she incurred backlash in response to a Sunday Times article reporting that Police Scotland would record rape suspects with male genitalia as "being committed by a woman if the attacker ‘identifies as a female.'"


On December 12, the Harry Potter author linked The Sunday Times article to a post in which she referenced and updated a quote from George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984.

Rowling wrote:

“War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman.”


Those who were upset urged her to reconsider her view, including one Twitter user who wrote, “You literally have a castle and you spend your time doing this.”

Another asked, “Why is this how you want to be remembered? Why is this the hill you’ve chosen? What do you stand to gain from this?”

Another user commented:

"JK Rowling, a person made famous for writing about wizards and magic and horse-birds and giant murder trees, wants to tell you that trans people don’t exist.”


Fans found it a challenge to support the polarizing author.








This wasn't the first time Rowling was in hot water for taking aim at the trans community.

She previously expressed support for Maya Forstater, who lost her job for comments and tweets that were deemed “offensive and exclusionary” and "transphobic."

Expressing solidarity with Forstater in being a public transphobe, Rowling tweeted:

“Dress however you please. Call yourself whatever you like. Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you."
"Live your best life in peace and security. But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real? #IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotADrill”

Rowling was also criticized for mocking an article that used the inclusive phrase, "people who menstruate." The article explained that not every person who experiences a period identifies as a female.

In response to the phrase, she tweeted in June 2020:

“I’m sure there used to be a word for these people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud.”

Weeks after Rowling's post, activist Kenny Ethan Jones tweeted in response:

"Can we stop ignoring the fact that sex, like gender, is a spectrum."
"Stop [invalidating] people based on bodily parts and functions."
"Not all women menstruate, and not all people who menstruate are women. FACTS."


A 2018 article by Refinery29 explained that women do not menstruate “for many different reasons.”

Writers Jess Commons and Bex Day explained:

“Some may undergo early menopause, some have had hysterectomies for medical issues. Some may be transgender, some suffering from eating disorders.“
"The reasons women don’t have periods can be complicated and diverse, but don’t take away from one central fact: period or no period, if you identify as a woman, you are a woman."

The actors who found fame after starring in the Harry Potter films based on the works of Rowling have spoken out in support of the trans community–including actor Daniel Radcliffe, who starred in the films as the titular wizard.

Radcliffe provided a statement via The Trevor Project–a suicide-prevention/support group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning teens.

“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," wrote Radcliffe.

"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.”

More from Trending

Lynda Carter; Screenshot of Donald Trump
Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images; Newsmax

Lynda Carter Hilariously Channels Wonder Woman In Response To Trump's Claim About 'Undetectable' Planes

After President Donald Trump touted the U.S. military's "stealth" planes that he described as "undetectable," Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter responded to his claim with a funny quip sure to delight fans of her iconic character.

Earlier, Trump boasted about the military's capabilities in remarks to reporters in the Oval Office amid heightened concerns about the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict that is sending shockwaves throughout the Middle East and around the world:

Keep ReadingShow less
red flag with pole on seashore
Seoyeon Choi on Unsplash

People Break Down The 'Silent Red Flags' Folks Tend To Ignore In Relationships

A red flag has come to mean any warning sign in life, in addition to the literal red flags that are placed on beaches or industrial sites to warn people of danger.

People will respond to situations by saying, "That’s a red flag." But before that language evolved, they'd just call them "warning signs."

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz; Tucker Carlson
The Tucker Carlson Show

Tucker Carlson And Ted Cruz Get Into Shouting Match Over Iran In Bonkers Interview Clip

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz—a harsh Donald Trump critic-turned-MAGA minion—sat down with fired Fox News personality Tucker Carlson for the conservative influencer's self-produced online content,The Tucker Carlson Show, for the Tucker Carlson Network.

On Tuesday, Carlson shared a 1.5-minute clip revealing that things got contentious when the pair touched on the Trump administration's escalating tensions with Iran.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Barack Obama
Suzanne Plunkett-Pool/Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Resurfaced Trump Tweet Criticizing Obama Over Iran Comes Back To Bite Him

Amid tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump was criticized for hypocrisy after social media users resurfaced a 2013 tweet in which he accused former President Barack Obama of planning an attack on Iran because of his "inability to negotiate properly."

Trump has declined to clarify whether the U.S. is edging closer to launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, following a warning from Iran’s supreme leader against any attack and a rejection of Trump’s demand for surrender.

Keep ReadingShow less
​​Elon Musk
Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images

Anti-Elon Banner at Stanford

Stanford University graduates were given creative advice from above as an airplane flew over the graduation ceremony with a banner reading, “CONGRATS! DON’T WORK FOR ELON.”

The moment was captured last Sunday during the university’s 134th Commencement ceremony, where the Class of 2025 received their degrees at Stanford Stadium.

Keep ReadingShow less