20 December 2019, 14:23
By Sam Prance
Who is Maya Forstater and what did J.K. Rowling say about trans people on Twitter?
J.K. Rowling is coming under fire over a recent tweet she published in defence of transphobic researcher Maya Forstater.
Maya Forstater is a tax expert who was recently let go from the Centre for Global Development after she posted transphobic tweets claiming that “men cannot change into women". She was also caught misgendering trans people online and publicly opposed government proposals to reform the Gender Recognition Act to allow people to self-identify as the opposite sex.
READ MORE: 21 explicit JK Rowling memes that will ruin Harry Potter for you
This week (Dec 18), Maya lost an employment tribunal case. The judge ruled that she "is absolutist in her view of sex and it is a core component of her belief that she will refer to a person by the sex she considered appropriate even if it violates their dignity and/or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment."
Now J.K. Rowling is facing backlash for saying she "stands with Maya" and making transphobic comments of her own.
Taking to Twitter yesterday (Dec 19), J.K. tweeted for the first time since September. She wrote: "Dress however you please. Call yourself whatever you like. Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you. Live your best life in peace and security. But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real?" She then added: "#IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotADrill".
Dress however you please.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 19, 2019
Call yourself whatever you like.
Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you.
Live your best life in peace and security.
But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real? #IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotADrill
Trans people and allies immediately began calling J.K. out for her comments. One person tweeted: "Maya Forstater didn't lose her job because she believes biological sex is real. Her contract wasn't renewed bc the charity she worked for saw she'd been attacking trans people and deliberately misgendering them online. That’s it. That’s how deep it is."
Writer Jamie Windust added: "The idea that this was in fact a decision by trans people to find her guilty, rather than a literal judge again wrongly points the blame at trans people, causing more illegitimate fear. Also if we could live our 'best life' with 'security' we wouldn't be here would we. We can't."
Meanwhile, performer Amrou Al-Kadhi wrote: "That JK Rowling was able to imagine a world where spells could split the soul and conceal parts of it inside inanimate objects yet is unable to countenance the idea that transphobia is an affront to human rights is depressing as f*ck."
Celebrities including Olly Alexander and Jameela Jamil have also criticised J.K. for her comments.
Maya Forstater didnt lose her job because she believes biological sex is real. Her contract wasn't renewed bc the charity she worked for saw she'd been attacking trans people and deliberately misgendering them online. That’s it. That’s how deep it is.
— faye (@fayekinley) December 19, 2019
The idea that this was in fact a decision by trans people to find her guilty, rather than a literal judge again wrongly points the blame at trans people, causing more illegitimate fear. Also if we could live our 'best life' with 'security' we wouldn't be here would we. We can't. https://t.co/8NdgHGes0M
— Jamie Windust (@jamie_windust) December 19, 2019
That JK Rowling was able to imagine a world where spells could split the soul and conceal parts of it inside inanimate objects yet is unable to countenance the idea that transphobia is an affront to human rights is depressing as f*ck.
— Amrou Al-Kadhi 🦄 (@Glamrou) December 19, 2019
how do u live ur best life in peace and security if there are other people constantly debating ur right to exist, sneering at ur struggles and smearing u as a pedo or a rapist based on nothing but the fact ur gender identity is not ~the norm? just say ur a terf and go https://t.co/LmLS4DG06C
— G (@oneofthosefaces) December 19, 2019
Maya’s contract was not renewed after her employer discovered she was involved in some anti-trans stuff online. Maya tried to sue her employers claiming her “gender critical” views should be legally protected. The judge found Maya’s views to violate the human dignity of others. https://t.co/mXbXngRC8u
— olly ✨ (@alexander_olly) December 20, 2019
Please follow more trans people, please read about their experiences in this world and know you are contributing to their erasure, abuse and suffering by supporting those who deny their identity/existence. Please wield your immense power to protect those most at risk. @jk_rowling https://t.co/xXM0hNYvcO
— Jameela Jamil 🌈 (@jameelajamil) December 19, 2019
Trans people, and trans women in particular, have for years been under attack by dedicated cohort of the British press, egged on by a small group of transphobic extremists. Transphobic views have been normalised in Britain. That’s the context for JK’s comments today.
— Laurie Penny (@PennyRed) December 19, 2019
— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) December 19, 2019Maya Forstater did not lose her job because she campaigned against the GRA. She did not lose her job because she believed in biological sex.
She lost her job because of her refusal to recognise the legal rights of people who had transitioned. https://t.co/artfU2psMS pic.twitter.com/HkLw7IZYBH
hi. breaking my hiatus real quick just to say: f*ck what your childhood heroes say. trans people are real. trans people deserve to be protected, recognized, supported, and loved. if that infringes on your idea of feminism, you’re not actually a feminist at all. you’re a bigot.
— casey mcchristmas 🎄☃️✨ (@casey_mcquiston) December 19, 2019
Harry Potter and the prisoner of reductive gender politics that will harm us all but sure go awff https://t.co/fRXMOPm9HZ
— Travis (@travisalabanza) December 19, 2019
J.K. Rowling J.K. Rowling
— Rose Dommu (@rosedommu) December 19, 2019
in her head IRL pic.twitter.com/SW8J910y4j
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) December 19, 2019Trans women are women.
Trans men are men.
Non-binary people are non-binary.CC: JK Rowling.
This isn't the first time that J.K. Rowling has been accused of transphobia. In 2017, the Harry Potter author liked a tweet that linked to a transphobic Medium piece and, in 2018, she liked a tweet which called trans women “men in dresses”.
It goes without saying that transphobia is wrong and CGD's decision to fire Maya was justified. As it stands, J.K. Rowling is yet to respond to the public backlash to her comments. We shall update you if she does.
