J.K. Rowling Faces Immediate Backlash
As V4NA previously highlighted, J.K. Rowling has a long history of backing women and has previously pledged to fund the legal campaigns of female prisoners who have been forced to share jails with biological men and women who have been strip-searched by transgender police officers and dared police in Scotland to arrest her for her views. The author has also backed female athletes who have been robbed of glory by men participating in female events.
Following her latest announcement, Rowling received many offensive messages, such as:
For all the criticism and attacks from her opponents and gender activists, Rowling just keeps on winning. Over the 12 months to the end of 2023, Pottermore publishing — a global digital audiobook and eBook publisher of Harry Potter books and affiliated Wizarding World titles — experienced a surge in sales, soaring from approximately U.S. $7 million to more than U.S. $11.9 million over the last fiscal year. All this despite the fact that
critics sought to banish the British author in 2020 after she voiced her stance on protecting sex-based rights for women. Both she and her family faced threats from critics simply for expressing her own views rather than conforming to the perceived wisdom of those who opposed her.
In fact, there were even shockingly vile campaigns against her, with some people spreading false rumors of her death.
The fake Rowling memorial pages and Twitter users went beyond offensive remarks, posting disturbing images as well — including a photo of a diseased rat, accompanied by the claim that it was the last picture taken of the author before her death. One Facebook user wrote: "Rot in a cesspit, you ugly, transphobic s**t! No one’s going to miss you."
