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J.K Rowling backlash over new book release
A new book is due to hit shelves, but it is not one that is drawing positive attention or press. “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has received criticism over her new book titled “Troubled Blood.” Published Tuesday as the fifth installment in the “Cormoran Strike” detective series and written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, Strike’s latest mystery revolves around a cisgender man who dresses as a woman to prey on his victims.
According to the synopsis on Amazon, “As Strike and Robin investigate Margot’s disappearance, they come up against a fiendishly complex case with leads that include tarot cards, a psychopathic serial killer and witnesses who cannot all be trusted. And they learn that even cases decades old can prove to be deadly . . .”
Many are already calling out Rowling as being transphobic, especially by those who have highlighted the author’s history of sharing transphobic opinions online. The hashtag #RIPJKRowling has been trending on Twitter since Monday. The meaning behind the hashtag is that although Rowling is still alive, her career is most likely dead.
“in memory of jk rowling,” one social media user tweeted. “she ain’t dead, but she killed her own career by proudly hating trans people & no one would really miss her that much anyway #ripjkrowling.”
Rowling last received public criticism from fans and celebrities alike for her very public comments regarding transgender men and women. In June, she was said to have mocked a headline to an opinion article for using gender-inclusive language in regard to menstruation.
“‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” Rowling tweeted.
The article—posted on Devex, a website that describes itself as a media platform for the global development community—was about creating equality for “people who menstruate” following the coronavirus pandemic.
In July, Rowling compared young people who are advised toward hormone therapy to “conversion therapy.” Rowling has been referred to as a “TERF,” or a trans-exclusionary radical feminist, by her critics.
By: Maytinee Kramer
