|
The First Art Newspaper on the Net |
|
Established in 1996 |
|
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 |
|
J.K. Rowling criticized over support for anti-transgender researcher |
|
|
The author J.K. Rowling speaks at the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights' Ripple of Hope Awards in New York, Dec. 12, 2019. Rowling, the creator of the Harry Potter series, was criticized by gay and transgender rights groups on Dec. 19 after she expressed support for a British researcher whose views on transgender people were described by a court as not worthy of respect in a democratic society. Krista Schlueter/The New York Times.
by Liam Stack
|
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE ).- J.K. Rowling, the creator of the Harry Potter series, was criticized by gay and transgender rights groups Thursday after she expressed support for a British researcher whose views on transgender people were described by a court as not worthy of respect in a democratic society.
The researcher, Maya Forstater, lost her job last year at a think tank in London and filed a lawsuit this year alleging discrimination based on what she called her gender critical views, which she has expressed often on Twitter. Among them is the belief, which Forstater tweeted Wednesday, that it is impossible to change sex.
An employment tribunal in London ruled against her Wednesday, saying her views were not a philosophical belief protected by British law but were instead incompatible with human dignity and fundamental rights of others.
It is also a slight of hand to suggest that the claimant merely does not hold the belief that trans women are women, the court ruled. She positively believes that they are men and will say so whenever she wishes.
Rowling criticized that outcome and said she supported Forstater, who did not respond to a message seeking comment on Thursday.
Dress however you please, Rowling wrote on Twitter, where she has more than 14 million followers. Call yourself whatever you like. Sleep with any consenting adult wholl 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.
Forstaters case was widely reported in Britain but became an international news story because of Rowlings tweet and because of the backlash to it, which was powered in part by long-standing suspicion among some LGBT advocates that the author held negative views of transgender people.
Much of that suspicion has focused on Rowlings social media activity. In 2018, she was criticized for liking a tweet that referred to transgender women as men in dresses.
A representative for the author said shed had a middle-aged moment and hit the like button accidentally, according to The Guardian. But some critics viewed incidents like that differently in light of her expression of support for Forstater.
Well, she finally said the quiet part out loud, Jackson Bird, a transgender author, tweeted Thursday. This is really heartbreaking for a lot of folks. If Harry Potter is ruined for you, I completely get it.
Rowling had not addressed the uproar by Thursday afternoon and declined an offer from the LGBT advocacy group GLAAD to have an off-the-record conversation about the controversy, said the groups spokesman, Mathew Lasky.
Ken Kleinberg, a lawyer for Rowling in the United States, declined to comment on the episode when reached by telephone Thursday. Phone calls to The Blair Partnership, which represents her in Britain, went unanswered.
Anthony Ramos, who leads GLAADs engagement with celebrities on LGBT issues, said in a statement that Rowling had now aligned herself with an anti-science ideology that denies the basic humanity of people who are transgender.
On Thursday, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, the most influential LGBT advocacy organization in the United States, accused Rowling of being an anti-transgender fundamentalist and demanded she apologize for her statement.
J.K. Rowling says shes opposed to fundamentalism in any form, but shes promoting a harmful fundamentalism that endangers the LGBTQ community particularly transgender youth, Alphonso David, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement. She should apologize.
But some people did express sympathy, of a sort, with Rowling on Thursday.
J.K. Rowling dared say that biological sex is real and is now being canceled by the very woke outrage mob she helped create, Paul Joseph Watson, a British online personality known for his work with Infowars, the website run by the far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, tweeted. The worlds tiniest violin plays.
© 2019 The New York Times Company
|
|
Today's News
December 21, 2019
Science, splendor and 'Dresden green' to impress a sovereign
V&A acquires the most exquisitely modelled piece of English porcelain, discovered at a French flea market
In Brazil's pampas, a Triassic Park once flourished
A 3,500-year-old disposable cup helps British Museum examine our relationship with rubbish
Much about this artist is in doubt. Not his talent
J.D. Salinger, unbound
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao opens an exhibition of masterpieces from the Kunsthalle Bremen
i8 Gallery exhibits 'Kiss the Day Goodbye' by Charles Atlas
Major exhibition of work by the Belgian-Mexican artist Francis Alÿs opens at Eye Filmmuseum
Rijksmuseum announces 2019 is its most successful year ever
Christine Chambers, 39, dies; Her photos empowered actors of color
The many ways of seeing Agnès Varda
J.K. Rowling criticized over support for anti-transgender researcher
Terry Riley's avant-garde sounds are still casting spells
Kalfayan Galleries open a solo exhibition of Greek-Egyptian artist Farida El Gazzar
'Luce' an immersive show by Liz West & Jemma Appleby opens at Daniel Benjamin Gallery
Early post liberation works by Holocaust survivor David Friedmann opens at The Morris Museum
Exhibition creates a unique listening environment
Beatriz Olabarrieta inquires into the multifaceted nature of identity
Studio Job presents never before seen pieces at Samuel Vanhoegaerden Gallery
Thomas Elsaesser, film scholar with a broad view, dies at 76
Parasol unit presents David Claerbout: The Pure Necessity at Chapel of San Bastiaun, Zuoz
Modest Maradona museum pays tribute to patron saint of Naples
Hermès exotics, special orders, limited editions lift Heritage Auctions sale above $1.6 million
10 most beautiful places on the planet for yacht traveling
Most important YouTube Marketing techniques you have to use
The Top Gaming Technology Trends For 2020
The Road to Becoming a Professional Esports Player
|
|
|
|
|
Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography, Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs, Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, . |
|
|
|
Royalville Communications, Inc produces:
|
|
|
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful
|
|