(Abdul–Rahman Oladimeji Bello, Headline USA) Author J.K. Rowling responded to critics regarding her comments about transgender women in recent years.
The author replied while speaking with The Free Press’ podcast host Megan Phelips-Roper on Tuesday’s “The Witch Trails of J.K. Rowling.” According to Fox News, the podcast host noted comments from one of her critics, Youtuber Natalie Wynn, who had also appeared on the “Witch Trials” podcast.
Wynn had accused Rowlings of “indirect bigotry,” saying that the author was only “undermining people’s rights” while pretending to care.
“I see this constantly and the most frequent example of that is ‘they’re pretending to be concerned about children. It’s not about the children. They really hate trans people,” Rowlings said in response to the accusations.
“Now, if you’re saying the indirect bigotry is asking questions where you believe significant harm is done, if you’re saying indirect bigotry is standing up for women’s rights, then you know what, guilty as charged,” Rowlings said. “I think it is a very bad faith argument to say that people who are asking questions are being indirect bigots because, you know, that itself, in my view, is a very bad faith position.”
The podcast host then asked Rowling if she understood how much pain her comment about trans women not being “quite” women could have caused.
“The thing is, women are the only group, to my knowledge, that are being asked to embrace members of their oppressor class unquestioningly with no caveat,” Rowling responded. “This movement has argued, continues to argue, that a man may have had no surgery whatsoever, but if he feels himself to be a woman, the door of every woman’s bathroom, changing room, rape center should be open to him. And I say, no. I’m afraid I say no.”
Rowling then went on to ask why the pain of a particular group is prioritized over the pain of other groups, suggesting that trans people’s ‘pain’ has become more of a priority than that of women.
