JK Rowling salutes 'grateful' fans who stood by her after trans comments, hits cancel culture 'dictators'

During the latest episode of her new podcast series, "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling mentioned that there were "a ton of Potter fans" who were "grateful" for the comments she made defending the reality of biological sex. She also hit back against cancel culture "dictators." 

In episode 5 of "The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling," a podcast documenting LGBTQ activists' crusade to cancel her, the author described the moment she ushered in the massive wave of backlash by tweeting out points against inclusive gender language. She described it as if she tossed a "hand grenade" onto the internet.

Though despite the blowback she received, she noted that there were plenty of people who appreciated her bluntness, a perspective that is often overlooked amid headlines about myriad number of people trying to cancel the fantasy novelist.

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Before mentioning her stalwart fans, Rowling provided a play-by-play refresher on how she angered the woke crowd. The author mentioned how it all started with a spark of frustration in her that came from reading an article in 2020, titled, "Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate."

Rowling claimed the piece and its gender-inclusive headline made her "really angry." She said, "I’m coming to that article on the background of what I see as huge injustice and people trying to shut women down… So I was angry, and I was flippant." 

The article prompted her to send that fateful tweet in which she snarked, "People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?"

Rowling explained that posting that quip was "like dropping a hand grenade into Twitter." She asked, "Did I mean to drop a hand grenade in? No. I was just keeping a rein on my own fury. So off it went."

That same day Rowling posted another controversial tweet claiming that womanhood and the notion of homosexuality are both tied to the reality 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."

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Rowling claimed she knew she was going to cause a major stir with the tweets. Ever since those tweets and subsequent others, Rowling has been labeled "transphobic" by many in the LGBTQ community. 

However, she acknowledged that, in addition to her strident critics, she had a strong base of support for her statements and mentioned that many people really appreciated them.

She added, "But at the same time, I have to tell you, a ton of Potter fans were still with me. And in fact, a ton of Potter fans were grateful that I’d said what I said."

The author then suggested that many of the disgruntled activists trying to hold her "accountable" have not been doing any justice for the community but are acting like dictators.

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Rowling said, "Look, I’ve heard this all the time. ‘We’re holding you accountable. We’re holding you accountable.’ Well, I would say this: I’m a great believer in looking at not what people say, but what they do. How are you behaving?"

"If you are threatening, if you are threatening to remove livelihoods, if you are saying ‘this person is canceled,’ that is the language of a dictator," she responded, adding, "I mean, I’ve literally lost count of the number of times I’ve seen the hashtag #RIPJKRowling floating around. I don’t call that being held accountable."