Thread by @Ishikawa_Sachi

Why cis folk cannot shrug their shoulders and “separate the author from their work” when it comes to trans rights, JK Rowling, and Harry Potter.

A thread.

First of all, let’s talk about privilege.

If you’re a man, you have male privilege.
If you’re white, you have white privilege.
If you’re abled, you have able-bodied privilege.
If you’re cis, you have cis privilege.

(and these are just four small examples)

These layers of privilege don’t exist in a vacuum... but they do gain weight differently depending on the situation.

For example, a black man has male privilege over a white woman, who has white privilege over him.

Talking about privilege is talking about nuance.

We have seen in history time and time again when and how these balances gets manipulated and tilted unfairly. It’s our duty to speak out against those who are using a “minority/vulnerable” tag in order to hurt another minority/vulnerable group.

That nuance is only relevant to particular situations and when there is a power imbalance.

I, for example, as an Asian woman, can claim a white man has white, male privilege over me.

I cannot claim a trans man has privilege over me because I have cis privilege over him.

I, as an Asian woman who is an intersectional feminist, am very aware of the amount of privilege people have over me and I have over people.

That is why I, a cis-gendered person, do not get to separate Rowling from the HP series.

Her bigotry does not affect me in any way. I am not her victim. I am a witness.

I saw her attack the trans community with her hate, and it is my duty to call her out and step in to support and defend her targets from a rhetoric that puts them in danger.

My claiming to “separate her from her works” would come from my cis-privilege. And I do not want a privilege that actively hurts a lovely, inspiring, amazing community.

It is my duty to call her out.

Cis people who love HP, I’m sorry and it sucks that she’s a FART/TERF. But be better.

This conversation isn’t about us, it’s about our trans and nonbinary siblings.

By “liking HP” you’re saying “your safety and dignity is less important than my entertainment.”

(This does not mean that having liked HP is inherently transphobic—it means that by being willing to put up with her transphobia, you’re supporting a transphobe.)

If a “feminist ally” shrugged their shoulders if their favorite writer spewed misogyny at women, you bet your ass I will call them out.

So now I’m calling out people who, like myself, have cis privilege and do not use it to stand up in support for the LGBTQ+ community.

TLDR: A cis person can’t claim to be a trans/nonbinary ally and still support Rowling and HP.

PS. This thread was written for cis people. Trans and nonbinary folk, obviously you get to decide how you feel about Rowling and her comments—it’s not my intention to speak over you; I’m just trying to hold cis people accountable.

I want to add a special thank you to @angry_enby, @GinIshiOkiru, @zenbumashuu, as well as others who have decided to remain anonymous, for offering me feedback with this thread. Thank you so much! 💜