this post was submitted on 30 Jun 2024
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J.K. Rowling is embroiled in a fresh row with another Harry Potter actor over transgender rights.

Following exchanges of fire with Daniel Radcliffe and others, Rowling has blasted David Tennant after the Goblet of Fire star voiced strident views on those who speak out against trans rights.

During an appearance at the British LGBT Awards over the weekend, he called on British equalities minister Kemi Badenoch to “shut up” after she advocated for banning trans women from entering women’s toilets and sports teams.

In an interview at the same event, Tennant called transgender critics “a tiny bunch of little whinging f*ckers who are on the wrong side of history, and they’ll all go away soon.”

Earlier in the week, Rowling branded people like Tennant the “gender Taliban.” In posts on X (once Twitter) on Friday, she expanded her comments to address Tennant’s “wrong side of history” quote.

Rowling wrote: “This man is talking about rape survivors who want female-only care, the nurses currently suing their health trust for making them change in front of a man, girls and women losing sporting opportunities to males and female prisoners incarcerated with convicted sex offenders.”

She added: “For a man who’s supposedly a model of compassion and tolerance, he sure does want a lot of people to cease to exist.”

Previously.

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[–] Ibaudia@lemmy.world 28 points 1 day ago (2 children)

This man is talking about rape survivors who want female-only care, the nurses currently suing their health trust for making them change in front of a man, girls and women losing sporting opportunities to males and female prisoners incarcerated with convicted sex offenders.

It's hilarious that she's making these seem like widespread issues when most of them are literally just one incident, or aren't happening at all. These are the best examples she can come up with of legitimate grievances against trans people?

How about "bullied to suicide, denied medical care, housing discrimination, employment discrimination, and getting violently hate crimed at enormous rates" for the other side of this issue? Even if you think trans identities are invalid, at least pretend to treat them with the same respect you would other human beings. But no, trans people who are just trying to survive day-to-day are nonchalantly grouped in with pedophile rapists, as if those two things are in any way equivalent.

It's easy to hate someone when you just ignore what they really are and supplant it with something else entirely.

[–] norimee@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago

As a cis female rape survivor I would choose the care of a compassionate trans woman over a judgemental TERF anytime!

[–] HauntedCupcake@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I 100% agree with your post. The issues she raises are nonexistent or extremely rare. In my personal life I believe and practice "trans-women are women" as for all intents and purposes it's true.

I am however concerned that I don't really have a response to anyone who doesn't believe that, particularly women with some sort of past trauma that gives them an instinctual fear response. It feels insensitive to tell them to get over it or go to therapy. Particularly if they've been exposed to one of the extremely rare examples Rowling has presented. But I think going to therapy is probably what needs to happen.

My other conflicting thought is that therapy or condemnation it is what we would say to people being racist, but there seems to be a societal agreement that we need women only spaces. And we don't say "get over it" in regards to men trying to enter a women's shelter, we offer an amount of sympathy and understanding to the women and allow them that space. Which means there is some amount of gender discrimination is desired/needed. This also indicates there there should be a line or set of fuzzy criteria that determines if we treat trans-women as women or not. But this obviously also feels wrong, and I hate it.

Sorry if this was insensitive, I mostly just want to gather thoughts as I'm not confident in my thinking. I don't think these issues deserve the amount of attention transphobes are giving them, but we're here now, so I want to try and figure out a solution or response to more "reasonable" transphobes that I could potentially change the minds of

[–] JacksonLamb@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

I appreciate this comment.

particularly women with some sort of past trauma that gives them an instinctual fear response

Surely the answer to traumatised women is to give them accommodations and special treatment, not to punish anyone who sets off that trauma response because of perceptions about that person's race or gender.

[–] HauntedCupcake@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

Thank you for the response.

The problem is that the accommodation and special treatment is in part separating these women from men and perceived masculinity. We would have to start chopping up support groups into trans-inclusive and trans-exclusive. And I don't think sending them to a male/trans therapist is going to be very helpful.

Transphobic (I'm not sure of a better word) trauma victims would want some sort of system in place to ensure these extremely unlikely things don't occur. Trauma can really fuck with your rational thinking like that. I still can't really cope in certain places and environments.

Once again, I'm aware this is an extreme edge case, and basically never going to happen irl

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 22 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Wait... The UK has a minister of Equalities and they're against equality? What the fuck?

[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Welcome to thr Bizarro World of Tory politics. We've got an Environment Minister who doesn't care that the rivers and overflowing with excrement. The Housing Minister hasn't overseen much housebuilding. And on and on.

[–] AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net 1 points 17 hours ago

The opposition (Labour) isn't much better, especially when it comes to equalities. I am not looking forward to this Thursday, and having to think a lot about how grim it all is.

[–] disgrunty@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

Yeah, this government is messed up. I don't think there's a single drop of humanity between them.

[–] sirico@feddit.uk 6 points 1 day ago

What till you see what the fairly resent exchequers did with money

[–] Omgboom@lemmy.zip 39 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The irony is that the Taliban agrees with JK Rowling on matters of gender and sexuality lol.

[–] veganpizza69@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

Conservatives & Projection

[–] obinice@lemmy.world 95 points 2 days ago (6 children)

Harry Potter actor? This man is the Doctor.

He's a national treasure.

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[–] kerrigan778@lemmy.world 69 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Where can I get my membership card, shirt, and other swag as a member of David Tennant's Gender Taliban

[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Putting all the politics aside, man I wish he got more roles. The purple man was the best part of Jessica Jones.

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[–] MajorHavoc@programming.dev 201 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Tennant called transgender critics “a tiny bunch of little whinging f*ckers who are on the wrong side of history, and they’ll all go away soon.”

Is the real headline here. And good for him.

I'd rather not give what's her name any more attention over this crap.

Also, calling Tennant a "Harry Potter actor", while true, feels like a calculated insult to a man who has played Doctor Who, The Purple Man, and Crawley.

[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 45 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Also, calling Tennant a “Harry Potter actor”, while true, feels like a calculated insult to a man who has played Doctor Who, The Purple Man, and Crawley.

I'm not sure it's a "calculated insult" but it did read a but oddly (I assumed initially that it was referring to someone else). I presume the writer or their editor went with that angle because because his having appeared in the Harry Potter movies is relevant to an article and fitted the wider context of JK Rowling falling out with HP cast members. I'm not convinced it was the right approach.

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[–] echodot@feddit.uk 55 points 2 days ago (9 children)

He was also barely even in Harry Potter, if we are going by screen time pretty sure Harry potter is the least relevant part of his career.

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[–] norimee@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

Could the witch woman please shut up.

[–] Etterra@lemmy.world 29 points 2 days ago

I expect in a Rowling vs. Tenant fight, Tenant is gonna come out with a win every time. That woman has a damaged moral compass on a good day.

[–] Default_Defect@midwest.social 29 points 2 days ago (8 children)

Glad to not see the usual "separate the art from the artist" crowd that can't stop giving her money to continue to be a fucking plague on humanity.

[–] norimee@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

The worst is, that she feels validated in her hateful opinions by the money she makes.

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[–] stevedidwhat_infosec@infosec.pub 163 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Tennant: TERFs are whiny fucking babies

JK Rowling, Court Jester: whines like baby

[–] AFC1886VCC@reddthat.com 111 points 2 days ago

Thankfully the vast majority of the cast of the Harry Potter movies ended up being decent people. They are the ones that young people should look up to, not whatever the fuck Joanne has become.

She's taking the Graham Linehan route, dedicate your whole life to bashing trans people and spreading hate against them, to the point where you ruin your entire legacy and your own personal relationships.

She can keep fighting against trans people's right to exist, but trans people will just fight back at every turn.

[–] flamingos@feddit.uk 152 points 2 days ago (10 children)

How is it that every time we hear from the TERF in the high castle, she's somehow even more unhinged?

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[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 131 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Calling someone Taliban while at the same time sharing a lot of Taliban ideology is the kind of delicious irony people like Rowling are completely oblivious to.

[–] rah@feddit.uk 1 points 1 day ago

sharing a lot of Taliban ideology

That seems like a bit of a stretch.

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[–] MacNCheezus@lemmy.today 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Headline blasted by grammar "Nazis" for having "too many" quotes to be taken serious

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[–] inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world 127 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

“For a man who’s supposedly a model of compassion and tolerance, he sure does want a lot of people to cease to exist.”

Critical of people she praises for compassion.

"J.K. Rowling has recently been canceled because she… did not please the fans of the so-called gender freedoms."

-Putin

Praised by fascist dictators.

And yet somehow JK thinks she is on the right side of history? 😄

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[–] Mighty@lemmy.world 108 points 2 days ago

So much Love for David Tennant<3

[–] JimSamtanko@lemm.ee 65 points 2 days ago (15 children)

There’s a few butt-hurt TERFs here downvoting. I wonder if the endorphin rush from such a rebellious act will carry them through the day.

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[–] casmael@lemm.ee 53 points 2 days ago (8 children)

Rowling should have stopped saying things in like 2005 tbh

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