JK Rowling’s New Book Sparks Transgender Controversy
J.K. Rowling’s new book, Troubled Blood, staring a “cross-dressing serial killer” sparks controversy over her views on transgender people.
Author of the world-famous Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling has come under attack from activists regarding the main character in her new book, which is centered around a male serial killer dressing up as a woman to lure and murder victims.
The novel Troubled Blood is the fifth installment in the Cormoran Strike series, which is a collection of fiction crime novels written by Rowling (who goes by the pseudonym “Robert Galbraith”).
Rowling has come under fire for expressing what many deem as transphobic tweets, one of the most controversial ones being the following:
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.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020
Thus, Rowling deciding to make her main character be a female-impersonator to lure victims angered many activists. Critics say that Rowling is depicting being transgender in a negative light, villainizing trans people. According to an article by CNN, transgender activist groups such as “Mermaids”, an organization that supports transgender children and parents, have voiced their concerns: “This is a long-standing and somewhat tired trope, responsible for the demonization of a small group of people, simply hoping to live their lives with dignity”.
More people have spoken out against Rowling, some people calling her out on her use of a pseudonym.
…I have to say, the irony here is rich: Basically JK Rowling is posing as a man (Robert Galbraith) to write a novel about a man who poses as a woman to kill people. PROJECTING MUCH?!?!
— Julia Serano (@JuliaSerano) September 14, 2020
Additionally, people are criticizing Rowling of depicting a transgender as a serial killer, while thousands of trans people are being killed around the world:
JK Rowling’s new book’s about a “transvestite serial killer”
Meanwhile over in the real world the number of trans people killed in Brazil has risen by 70% this past year, young trans women are left to burn in cars and men who kill us (for being trans) are pardoned and sent home pic.twitter.com/vaAVB0f9Na
— Paris Lees (@parislees) September 14, 2020
In an article by Time, a transgender author, Mason Deaver, states his concerns with the Rowlings portrayal of trans people, telling Time, “It might not seem obvious at first, but it’s very harmful to portray that being trans adjacent is somehow connected to your mental health…I think for the people who hate us or don’t like us, it’s going to help add more fuel to the fire.
However, in a review by The Guardian, they defend Rowling by claiming, “But Creed [the “cross-dressing serial killer”] is just one of many suspects – and without giving too much away, he is not the main villain, nor is he portrayed as trans or even called a ‘transvestite’ by Rowling.”
Overall, the reviews seemed to be mixed, with some arguing not to judge a book by its cover, but others criticizing the book for villainizing trans people. In a public statement given on Rowling’s website, she states “All I’m asking — all I want — is for similar empathy, similar understanding, to be extended to the many millions of women whose sole crime is wanting their concerns to be heard without receiving threats and abuse.”
