Why Trans Community Should Befriend JK Rowling (She's NOT Transphobic) | TaraElla LGBT News
Today, I want to examine the recent drama surrounding Harry Potter author JK Rowling and her recent controversial tweet in support of British feminist activist Maya Forstater, who lost her job after making some anti-trans comments publicly. The contents of Rowling's tweet was as follows: "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? #IStandWithMaya".
Taken literally, the first four lines confirm that Rowling takes a live and let live attitude, and for many trans people of my generation, that is enough for her not to be called transphobic. People may not always agree with you, but as long as they are tolerant, they pass the basic test. Besides, the important point is that we can have a conversation to work out our remaining differences. The last line, by itself, is also very okay, as most trans people believe that biological sex is real. Indeed, if biological sex was not real, trans wouldn't mean anything at all.
I guess the part where most people take issue with is in Rowling's defense of Forstater. For fairness sake, she didn't just say that 'sex is real'. She said some mean things about trans people. As a trans person, I am willing to have discussions about trans issues with people from all walks of life, and I am open to understanding and resolving any concerns anyone may have. In fact, if you look at my past videos, I have tried to address such concerns in what I consider to be a fair and balanced way. But the fact is, constructive discussions should be based on respectful language, something that many 'gender critical' feminists seem to lack when discussing trans issues. For example, while I can respect your refusal to use people's prefered pronouns (I don't agree but I always respect the right to free speech), there's really no reason to go around and call people mentally ill or delusional. It doesn't achieve anything except create conflict. There's really no room for a healthy discussion when one party uses derogatory language like this.
Having said all this, we still don't know where JK Rowling stands on trans issues. Therefore, I think it's a mistake for the trans community to have reacted so strongly this time. Yes, it appears that she may have a bit of concern about where trans activism is going, but so do even many of us trans people. For example, many of us wish the postmodern influence would go away. Even with the recent events, it is not a forgone conclusion that Rowling shares the animosity of the gender critical crowd. Instead, she may be closer to Hillary Clinton, who on one hand is committed to continue to help work out solutions to trans issues, while on the other hand is also mindful of the concerns from other parts of society, particularly from women. As I previously said, while I don't like Hillary's politics overall, I do think she has a fair and balanced approach to trans issues. Similarly, I think libertarian journalist Cathy Young also recently wrote a fair and balanced article on trans issues, while voicing her concerns about trans activism. The point is, not everyone with concerns about trans activism is automatically transphobic!
To help facilitate the much needed discussions to resolve various issues related to the acommodation of trans people in society, I think trans people should attempt to extend an olive branch to as many people as possible, as long as they don't clearly and openly hate us. We should meet people where they are, and work through the issues while sincerely taking in their concerns. I believe that, with some goodwill and some rational thinking, there can be satisfactory solutions for everyone.
