- The Washington Times - Monday, July 6, 2020

J.K. Rowling’s ongoing social media war with LGBT activists show no signs of slowing down.

The famous “Harry Potter” creator entered a new round of debate with transgender activists after liking a woman’s post calling hormone treatment “the new anti-depressants” when it should be “the last resort.” 

Ms. Rowling was criticized in June after tweeting, “It isn’t enough for women to be trans allies. Women must accept and admit that there is no material difference between trans women and themselves.”

Online furor over the weekend prompted 11 tweets aims at individuals who she said are stripping her position of nuance.

“I’ve ignored fake tweets attributed to me and RTed widely,” she wrote Sunday. “I’ve ignored porn tweeted at children on a thread about their art. I’ve ignored death and rape threats. I’m not going to ignore this. When you lie about what I believe about mental health medication and when you misrepresent the views of a trans woman for whom I feel nothing but admiration and solidarity, you cross a line.”

The author noted her past use of anti-depressants and struggles with OCD, depression and anxiety before saying that children are “being shunted towards hormones and surgery when this may not be in their best interests.”

“Many, myself included, believe we are watching a new kind of conversion therapy for young gay people, who are being set on a lifelong path of medicalization that may result in the loss of their fertility and/or full sexual function,” she wrote. “As I’ve said many times, transition may be the answer for some. For others, it won’t — witness the accounts of de-transitioners.”

Ms. Rowling cited various news articles to buttress her points before concluding on the “long-term health risks of cross-sex hormones.”

“These side-effects are often minimized or denied by trans activists,” she tweeted.

Warner Bros., for its part, attempted to shield itself from fallout last month by assuring “Harry Potter” fans that its record “on inclusiveness is well established.”

“We recognize our responsibility to foster empathy and advocate understanding of all communities and all people, particularly those we work with and those we reach through our content,” the company said in a June statement to Variety.

• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide