Tired of Transphobic Tropes

JK Rowling recently released the sixth book under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith, ‘Troubled blood’. A fitting name for a novel with an indeed troubling message. The Telegraph first summarised the overriding moral of the book as ‘never trust a man in a dress.’ Pair this sentiment with Rowling’s raging track record of Transphobia and I’m sure you can understand how this gets problematic…

Rowling has been accused of Transphobia for years but her benighted behaviour has recently pronounced itself loud and clear. For anyone who has managed to sidestep the huge hole Rowling has been busy digging for herself over the past couple of months, let me recap..

Back in June the author took to Twitter to mock an article discussing how we may better support ‘people who menstruate’ post-COVID19. Rowling belittled the phrase, chortling ‘I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?’ Resisting the use of non-gendered language invalidates the very identity of Transgender and non-binary individuals. For Rowling to use her platform to promote this Trans exclusionary rhetoric was entirely irresponsible. Her shameful actions heartbreakingly reiterated to the Trans community that their existence is still belittled and even ignored by many.

Despite the backlash and calls for Rowling to educate herself on the topic, her rampage continued. In a series of Tweets Rowling continued to argue her case, reasoning that ‘If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased.’ Her statement sparked a polemic debate online with people from all walks of life weighing in with their stance on the matter. The idea that this is even a matter for debate does not sit well with me. Individuals should express their identity in a way that feels authentic to themselves and not be forced to rationalise this choice with others.

Since then Rowling’s Twitter page has remained a warzone, the most recent battle fought over the comparisons JK Rowling made between hormone therapy and gay conversion therapy. And the icing on top of this terribly unappetising cake, the release of JK’s newest book.

The timeline of events here is rather perfectly set. It does beg the question, was JK’s public debacle simply a mastermind publicity stunt? Ignoring the sensitivities of the Trans community in a selfish act of self promotion, knowing that the public outrage she was inciting would accumulate in the perfect promotional strom.

The novel itself follows in the same vein as its predecessors in the series, detailing the musings of detective Coroman Strike as he tracks another sinister killer. The killer in question? A murderous cis man who dresses as a woman to lure in his victims. Rowlings character is not identified as Transgender but regurgitates the ignorant belief that Trans women are not real women but rather stealing a woman's identity in order to facilitate their aggressive, harmful intentions.

JK’s work was pounced by critics, their critique skimming over the lack of creative flare displayed in order to focus on the far more pressing issue of this book's role in fueling a dangerous prejudice against the Trans community. The Harry Potter fan base became very vocal about the matter, in many cases their anger giving way to sadness as they expressed their disappointment that a woman who once gifted them with a story of belonging could now validate a stereotype designed to exclude and marginalise.

One such argument circulated in Rowling's defence is the fact that this trope has been done hundreds of times before. This I cannot argue with. JK’s character development is not only tone deaf, it is also entirely unoriginal. Pop Culture boasts a well stocked archive of media enforcing the ‘crazy man in a dress’ trope and Rowling has just added her work to the list. What I cannot understand is the logical reasoning in how exactly this excuses the behaviour. The recurrence of this dangerous myth in our media does not legitimize it, it should only encourage us to fight harder to diminish its existence.

Yes, Rowling is taking the heat for a long established stereotype that she is not responsible for creating but she is responsible for regenerating and redistributing it. The very suggestion of the ‘bathroom bill’ in the US was fueled by this misleading, dangerous rhetoric. The bill would enforce that one may only use the toilet corresponding with the sex you were assigned at birth. Supporters of the legislation argued that they were acting in the interest of public safety, protecting women and children from the predatory behaviour. The predatory behaviour they are predicting is a reflection of what they have consumed in misinformative mainstream media, not a conclusion drawn from legitimate data and real-life cases.

Calling out JK’s incessant disturbance of the Trans community is an entirely necessary preventative measure to stop the spread of harmful,deceptive stories that plague our media and leak into our reality. JK Rowling needs to accept responsibility for the dire implications that her actions could impose on the Trans community. Her book may be fictitious but the lived reality of Trans people is not.