J. K. Rowling
Eons ago, Anita Loos once famously said, "Sex makes fools of us all." Now, in a completely different context, it continues to do so.
Social media is fulminating. The global disapproval of JK Rowling is almost comedic in its intensity. On Saturday, the British writer, beloved of the left, commented on an op-ed about healthcare inequality that used the phrase "people who menstruate."
The opinion piece could not have been more humane, more compassionate. Rowling chimed in on Twitter.
"People who menstruate. I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?" she tweeted. Perhaps the billionaire was trolling. Possibly she thinks of herself as a wit. Either way she has caused outrage.
Her tweet was seen as transphobic and deeply offensive to the LGBTQI - did I leave out a letter? - community. Not to mention GLAAD (formerly the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), which never seems particularly energised about anything. Tabbies for LGBTQI would surely have tweeted their disapproval, if they'd been able.
Even Harry Potter himself - actor Daniel Radcliffe - weighed in, saying, "Trans women are women," and expressing the hope that the comments would not "taint" Potter's legacy.
Now JK Rowling has been called a TERF. TERF - or trans-exclusionary radical feminist - is a slur that, in and of itself, documents the abuse, harassment and misogyny of transgender identity politics.
Human rights, whose human rights?
The irony is deep. If one has a view that differs from the preferred sexual fascism of these trans militants, it's deemed incompatible with human dignity and the fundamental rights of others. However, if you're part of the violent cabal on Twitter, it's apparently perfectly acceptable for a trans militant to advocate punching or even killing any TERF or lesbian who wouldn't consider a trans woman as a viable sexual partner. Thus, essentially a woman's right to say 'no' is being erased. Yet they don't see that as incompatible with human dignity.
god if i ever saw jk rowling in street i'd punch that bitch into the year 3000[Ed. note.: @holyheadhoney has since deleted their tweet]
— ari ♡ (@holyheadhoney) June 6, 2020
Neither do they comprehend that JK Rowling has a right to free speech. People died to protect this right. The right to free speech implicitly carries the notion that some people will be offended. Politically correcting everything is a form of leftist control. So is de-sciencing.
The new high liberalism - cultural Marxism by another name - has it that the old canard "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is redundant. Yet, these days, words are weaponized.
Rowling under Twitter attack
JK Rowling was criticized by gay and transgender rights groups back in December, 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."
Maya Forstater lost her job at a think tank in London last year, after she tweeted that it's impossible to change sex. There are many trans activists who argue that there being two different sexes at all is a myth. And the social justice/critical gender people say that what sex you are - it's not even about gender anymore - is entirely a social construct, rather than a biological reality.
Despite the backlash about her latest tweet, the author doubled down. "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," she said.
One disgruntled curmudgeon complained:
"So, every time she starts in on this crap about how trans women aren't really women, she uses examples that discount hundreds of thousands of 'women' who were born women but now can't meet her requirements due to 'reasons.' She needs to just stop. Stop offending trans women. Stop offending trans men. And stop offending people who present as they were born, but, for various reasons, don't meet her narrow-minded ideas of what defines sex. I'm cancelling my pre-order of her next book."Offended by everything
Will they just get over themselves?! They're upset or offended by everything. Bullying, threatening and silencing those who disagree with their ideology is classic leftist-playbook tactics. Have you noticed how transgender people quickly moved from "please acknowledge that our existence matters" to "now stop bothering us and f*** off - we don't give a damn about your existence"?
Those who are trans may have generated support and compassion from Hollywood types. But their ice-pick-sharp attacks are not good PR. Besides, they seem to have permanent sense-of-humor failure. JK Rowling simply won't learn her lesson, simper the left. 'And the insensitivity! During Gay Pride Month!'
The lesson is that no good turn goes unpunished. The lesson is that the trans community are over-reacting. Attacking the creator of Harry Potter is like getting dressed up in a full suit of armor to attack an ice-cream sundae.
The madwoman's knitting basket thinking of this cultural insanity is being seen for what it is - insanity. Common sense inevitably will prevail.
Comment: No guarantee of that, at least in the near future.
According to these trans harridans on social media, none of us is either male or female. Maybe 'it' is the new norm of no-boundaries 2020. But this is still Planet Earth. Earth has males and it has females. Historically, we've been categorized by our genitalia and our ability to either sire or give birth to children. Perhaps once we get to the spiritual level - if we ever do - we can all be non-binary, but till then...
Jani Allan is a writer and talk show host. She has written for the London Sunday Times, the Spectator, the Daily Mail and various other British publications. Her memoir Jani Confidential was published by Jacana Media.
Presumably, that's where this psycho/narcissistic, if-you-can't keep-up-with-the-Joneses-drag-them-down-to-your-level think, is intended to lead - right back to the stone age.