Only two days after the murder of 16-year-old trans schoolgirl Brianna Ghey, which elicited horrific comments and abuse from numerous "Gender Critical" activists, JK Rowling happily boasts that she will be featured on a podcast called "The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling".
In her announcement, JK Rowling claims that she wanted a "two-sided conversation".
Two-sided.
In a podcast that is literally titled "THE WITCH TRIALS OF J.K. ROWLING"
With, of course, a cis person rather than any of the trans people actually harmed by her bigotry.
The idea that JK Rowling is some well-meaning buffoon who has "accidentally-ed" her way into becoming a messiah-like figure for transphobic extremists is farcical and it is genuinely embarrassing that anyone pretends to to believe that there is some hidden nuance to her actions.
Rowling claims "I Never Set Out To Upset Anyone"
Which, a) is the kind of statement you make along with an apology on Day 1, not after years of LGBTQ+ people and feminists painstakingly explaining why your behaviour is harmful and how many of the things you say are lies...
... during which time you just flat out refused to engage with meaningful criticism.
And b) how exactly were you ever envisaging a hate-crusade against trans people and their rights not upsetting anyone, Joanne? You do... understand that LGBTQ+ people are capable of feelings?
Going out on a limb here to say that I do not think we will in fact be surprised by the thoughts she shares.
It's also worth noting this whole propaganda circus is being produced by "The Free Press" - which as the name might suggest is a reactionary, transphobic outrage-bait company founded by reactionary, transphobic, outrage-baiter Bari Weiss, also known for stooging for Elon Musk.
The impartial interviewer Megan Phelps-Roper kicks off her essay on the podcast by comparing JK Rowling to God and Harry Potter to the Bible.
Though given she grew up in the Westboro Baptist Church, I suppose Rowling does have a fair amount in common with their version of God...
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"Just how reliable are the media when it comes to fact-checking their articles attacking trans people?"
Well, this week an incredibly obvious parody account claimed trans people wanted a song banned and pretty much every paper you can think of uncritically reported it as real.
A lot of people's first reaction to this is "Haha, look how stupid and gullible bigots are", but its important to understand for queer people it's a lot more frightening than funny.
Imagine how scary it is, watching the media uncritically amplifying obvious lies to demonise you.
There is virtually no fact-checking for anti-LGBTQ+ articles in the media, including in supposedly liberal papers.
And there are absolutely no consequence for media platforms when they lie about LGBTQ+ people - except, of course, for LGBTQ+ people themselves.
JK Rowling opens by mentioning two opponents of GRA reform, Maya Forstater and Helen Joyce.
Forstater has recently been throwing a fit about a non-binary alien children's character.
Joyce was recently photographed smiling over a desecrated pride flag.
JK Rowling flies into a libellous rage against musician Billy Bragg after Bragg agrees that media should talk to trans people about trans issues rather than JK Rowling.
In response, Rowling implies that Bragg has thrown his "support behind rape and death threats".
A furious JK Rowling has responded to Billy Bragg by smearing him as a misogynist and - bloody hell - seemingly describing his refutation of her libellous claim that he supports rape and death threats as "complaining that a woman has a view on woman’s rights."
Helen Joyce, the anti-trans campaigner, has suggested that the fatwa declared against Salman Rushdie - who was literally stabbed yesterday - is the same as JK Rowling receiving criticism and mockery for her transphobia and bigotry.
Update from Leo Kearse:
Actually JK Rowling is *more* victimised than Salman Rushdie - who, once again, has just been stabbed - because publishers are "too scared to even acknowledge [her] existence."
JK Rowling has a new book coming out this month.
Excusers of JK Rowling's bigotry are currently spreading images of the first of these screenshots, trying to demonise her critics and trans people.
They are - accidentally or deliberately - ignoring that the person in question is a Rowling defender attempting to be sarcastic.
Imagine how incompetent a literary agent you would have to be in order to fail at selling books by white guys.
The comment section, as ever, is a delight
When confronted with evidence from about half the internet that - statistically speaking - being white is quite a benefit in the publishing world, Joyce Carol Oates graciously accepted that "there are [exceptions]" to her claim while also doubling down.
The day before JK Rowling tried to link trans people and their rights with "Predators", she publicly endorsed the work of Matt Walsh, a man who has downplayed the rape of children and believes that they should be forced give birth to their rapist's child.