J.K. Rowling accused of transphobia, returns human rights award

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J.K. Rowling statement

J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter book series, returned a 2019 Ripple of Hope Award she received from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization after receiving criticism from RFK’s daughter Kerry Kennedy.

In a scathing statement, posted Aug. 3 on the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights site, the organization’s president Kerry Kennedy condemned Rowling for her June tweets as “transphobic” and “deeply troubling.”

Kennedy continued to dismiss Rowling’s views, saying “Over the course of June 2020 — LGBTQ Pride Month — and much to my dismay, J.K. Rowling posted deeply troubling transphobic tweets and statements. On June 6, she tweeted an article headlined “Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate.

Kennedy claims that Rowling was glib and dismissive about transgender identity. Rowling said, “People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”

“From her own words, I take Rowling’s position to be that the sex one is assigned at birth is the primary and determinative factor of one’s gender, regardless of one’s gender identity—a position that I categorically reject. The science is clear and conclusive: Sex is not binary,” Kennedy responded.