J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, is facing controversy again for how she responded to a gruesome murder. Rowling spoke out again about her views on transgender issues in response to a Sky News report that referred to a murderer (who is transgender) as a woman.
Scarlet Blake (the murderer) was sentenced on Monday, February 26th, at Oxford Crown Court. She received a life imprisonment term with a minimum of 24 years for the murder of Jorge Martin Carreno.
Moreover, she received a six-month concurrent sentence for kidnapping, dissecting, mutilating, and placing her neighbor’s cat in a blender.
J.K. Rowling Criticized Media Over Murder News Coverage
During a two-and-a-half-week trial, it was revealed that the 26-year-old murderer, who identifies as a transwoman, lured the 30-year-old Spanish BMW plant worker to Parsons Pleasure.
There, she hit him on the head with a vodka bottle, strangled him, and then pushed him into the river on July 25, 2021. The Ministry of Justice confirmed Blake is in a male section of the prison (reported by The Mirror).
During the trial, Blake told the jury she knew she wanted to be a girl since she was 12 and had started taking testosterone blockers at 17. When Sky News covered the news, referring to Blake as a woman during their coverage of her sentencing, J.K. Rowling came forward to criticize the outlet on Twitter:
I'm so sick of this shit. This is not a woman. These are #NotOurCrimes https://t.co/ycjWefLCiw
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 26, 2024
Rowling also shared a message from Louise Tickle, a writer for The Guardian, who criticized her own publication for not mentioning that Blake was a transgender woman in its coverage of the trial.
Every single word of this 👇 https://t.co/rI1o0zrcfX
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 26, 2024
In a follow-up tweet, the Harry Potter author stated three points, writing:
“1. Crime statistics are rendered useless if violent and sexual attacks committed by men are recorded as female crimes.
2. Activists are already clamouring for this sadistic killer to be incarcerated in a women’s prison.
3. Ideologically-driven misinformation is not journalism.”
1. Crime statistics are rendered useless if violent and sexual attacks committed by men are recorded as female crimes.
2. Activists are already clamouring for this sadistic killer to be incarcerated in a women's prison.
3. Ideologically-driven misinformation is not journalism. pic.twitter.com/9hnBBAY6eH— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 26, 2024
The 58-year-old author started sharing her opinions on Twitter in December 2019. She spoke up for Maya Forstater, a researcher who lost her job at the Centre for Global Development for posting anti-trans content on social media.
Since then, she has kept talking about gender and trans rights on social media. There are reports (via The Times) suggesting she even donated £70,000 to a group called For Women Scotland opposing trans rights, which has been in a legal battle over the definition of ‘woman’.
J.K. Rowling is Unconcerned About Legacy Damage Due to Transphobic Comments
J.K. Rowling stirred up trouble in 2020 with comments many saw as transphobic. She tweeted that “if sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased.”
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.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020
In a podcast interview (The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling) early last year, she said her remarks had been “profoundly” misunderstood and she wasn’t too worried about her legacy being damaged.
Rowling’s remarks have faced criticism from prominent Harry Potter actors like Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Eddie Redmayne. Radcliffe, in particular, has openly opposed Rowling and her opinions, penning an essay for The Trevor Project to support transgender individuals (via The Guardian):
“Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional healthcare associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either [Rowling] or I. It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm.”
While Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes have stood up in defense of Rowling.
