J.K. Rowling’s inflammatory comments about the trans community have made her a controversial figure in recent times. Her latest comment on the Imane Khelif vs Angela Carini boxing match at the Paris Olympics is drawing further criticism towards the Harry Potter author. After the 46-second controversial match, Rowling misgendered Algeria’s Khelif and bashed the Olympics for allowing a “man” in the ring.
The now-infamous children’s book author had earlier opined that self-declared gender identity shouldn’t be considered sufficient for a person’s legal gender status. She stated that trans women shouldn’t be allowed in spaces for biological women only, such as domestic abuse shelters and sex-segregated prisons.
J.K. Rowling Draws Controversy Again By Misgendering Olympic Boxer
The Olympic boxing match between Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Italian boxer Angela Carini became controversial after it ended in just 46 seconds. Carini was in tears when she called it quits during the match. Khelif was one of the two female boxers permitted to contest at the Olympics, despite being disqualified from the women’s world championships in 2023.
Some section of people found this decision to be unfair since she failed her testosterone and gender eligibility tests. Many of these people believed Khelif to be a man even though she was raised and identifies as a female. The Olympics currently allows female athletes with Differences of Sexual Development (DSD) to compete in women’s competitions.
Several celebrities have expressed their views on the controversy, including J.K. Rowling. She took to X to post a photo of Khelif and Carini from the match, where she misgendered Khelif as a male and called the International Olympic Committee (IOC) a “misogynist sporting establishment” for allowing Khelif to compete.
Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who’s knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered. #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/Q5SbKiksXQ
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 1, 2024
Rowling also responded to the IOC’s press release about offering mental health and safeguarding initiatives, calling the measures a joke. The Harry Potter author shared that the committee’s initiatives had snatched away a young female boxer’s dream during the match. Rowling shared:
A young female boxer has just had everything she’s worked and trained for snatched away because you allowed a male to get in the ring with her. You’re a disgrace, your ‘safeguarding’ is a joke and #Paris24 will be forever tarnished by the brutal injustice done to Carini. https://t.co/JMKzVljpyr
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 1, 2024
Interestingly, Carini shared with the reporters that she did not want to pass judgment on the IOC’s decision. She shared that she wished Khelif would carry on until the end. Carini shared (via THR):
I wish her to carry on until the end and that she can be happy … I am not here to judge or pass judgment. If an athlete is this way, and in that sense it’s not right or it is right, it’s not up to me to decide.
The IOC spokesman Mark Adams made it clear that it was not a transgender issue as Khelif is not identified as transgender. Other celebrities like Elon Musk, Logan Paul, and Piers Morgan have also commented on the fairness of the issue.
J.K. Rowling’s Comments Would Further Taint HBO’s Harry Potter Series
It is clear that J.K. Rowling still holds on to her stance and continues to reiterate it at any chance she gets. Interestingly, she revealed in an interview on the podcast The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling that she was not worried about “her legacy” (via Variety). She shared that many people believed she ruined her legacy with her comments, but she only cared about the present and the living.
While the comments may not affect her legacy, they will probably affect the future projects she is a part of. Many fans were frustrated with Warner Bros. studio’s announcement of a Harry Potter series after they revealed that Rowling was largely involved in the project. According to Deadline, Rowling “is expected to be involved in the decision-making on the series.”
The Harry Potter series recently moved from Max to HBO and will premiere sometime in 2026.
