J.K. Rowling On Why She Chose To Stand Up To Trans Activists: ‘A Phenomenally Privileged Position’

Best-selling author J.K. Rowling is one of the few mainstream celebrities willing to stand up to trans activists publicly, and during a recent interview she explained her reasons for doing so. 

The 57-year-old “Harry Potter” writer said it all came down to knowing she had enough funds to withstand the inevitable backlash. 

“It’s going to have to be, me, isn’t it? Because I will always be able to feed my kids, even if everyone boycotts my books for the rest of my life,” Rowling told British journalist Suzanne Moore during a recent interview. “That is a phenomenally privileged position to be in. I consider myself one of the most fortunate people on Earth.”  

“All of us know, who’ve been in the eye of the storm, that attempts are still made to stop you,” she continued. “And what’s so interesting is the main thrust of that attempt to silence is to put you into a state of fear.” 

Rowling said that she’s not afraid of being canceled in large part because she can afford to be.

“That’s why it’s important that women like us stand up – people who can afford to take the hit. And yeah, that comes at a cost … The only time I’ve ever made reference to being canceled, my book sales went up,” she noted.

At another point in the interview, Rowling reiterated that she has no personal vendetta against the trans community, a point she made in the past.

“I have no irrational fear of or hatred towards trans people in the slightest – as, God knows, I’ve said so many times,” the British author reiterated. “But if you’re going to say it’s ‘hate’ not to believe in a gendered soul, then we cannot have a discussion. We can’t. There’s nowhere to go. The tactic has been no debate, but it is changing.” 

Rowling goes on to say she considers herself a feminist but that leftists are “so convinced of their moral superiority” that they attempt to silence any objectors. 

“That’s where my brand of feminism splits sharply from third-wave feminism,” she says. “I see so much conflation of femininity with femaleness. We were fighting to stop that conflation, and there they are, in my view, embracing that. ”

“The contradictions drive me crazy: we’re simultaneously told gender is innate and inborn, and that it’s a choice, a performance. All of these things cannot be true. If it’s a choice, then clearly it’s not innate.” 

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