Another day, another Rowling-related spat on social media over trans rights.
“Having money is nothing to brag about, Joanne.”
‘It’ all kicked-off (again) on Twitter yesterday, as “gender critical” figurehead and “free speech” advocate J.K. Rowling seemingly took issue over a Tweet penned by music icon and activist Billy Bragg.
Rowling appeared to take umbrage after Brag used (October 13) his own Twitter feed to exercise some – you’ll never believe this – free speech.
We’ll break it down properly, but for fans of a summary, it went like this:
J.K. Rowling: I don’t care if you don’t like what I think about trans people
Billy Bragg: I don’t like what you think
J.K. Rowling: Wait, not like that…
Earlier this week, we reported that Drag Race UK judge and Eurovision host Graham Norton was going viral for an interview where he shared his thoughts on cancel culture and the ‘trans debate’.
Norton said, basically, he felt the word ‘cancel’ wasn’t entirely correct, because often folk who have been “cancelled” are still doing interviews and appearing in national media. He suggested the word “accountability” would be a more fitting interpretation.
He then said, “It’s free speech, but not consequence-free. I’m aware of the things I say.”
Graham Norton will always be famous. pic.twitter.com/03pkwFUYTi
— THEE ACADEMY Playwright Jeremy O Harris (@jeremyoharris) October 13, 2022
Moving then to the debate over trans rights currently being played out daily on Twitter – a seemingly lawless alternate reality where some people exist permanently – Graham said:
“Talk to trans people. Talk to the parents of trans kids.”
“PLEASE can we have some experts”, he then says. “Can we rustle up some fu*king experts and talk to them”.
He, personally, didn’t mention J.K. Rowling – not even once.
Norton’s comments were well received on Twitter, as many LGBTQ+ folk are agreed that the voices often missing from the debate over trans rights are… actual trans people.
Musician, activist and long-standing LGBTQ+ ally Billy Bragg shared the interview, commending Graham’s stance on the matter, in a tweet where Rowling was mentioned but not @ tagged.
Bragg said Graham’s comments were “really good”, for “suggesting that the media talk directly to trans teens and their parents rather than merely amplifying the takes of a celebrity.”
Norton really good here on John Cleese, telling him that ‘cancel culture’ is just accountability, and JK Rowling, suggesting that the media talk directly to trans teens and their parents rather than merely amplifying the takes of a celebrity. https://t.co/arh3H5pbMs
— Billy Bragg (@billybragg) October 13, 2022
Rowling, untagged in the original post, shared Billy’s post, accusing him (or Graham? Both??) of being “bearded men stepping confidently onto their soapboxes to define what a woman is and throw their support behind rape and death threats to those who dare disagree.”
To which Bragg replied: “Hard to think of anything that better illustrates Graham Norton’s point than the sight of someone with 13.9m followers reacting to a call for a fair hearing for trans teens and their parents by equating it to *checks notes* support for rape and death threats.”
Hard to think of anything that better illustrates Graham Norton’s point than the sight of someone with 13.9m followers reacting to a call for a fair hearing for trans teens and their parents by equating it to *checks notes* support for rape and death threats.
— Billy Bragg (@billybragg) October 13, 2022
As it all began to unfold, to the surprise of literally no one, Rowling subscribers who share similar views about trans people jumped immediately into the ring to have their say.
By “their say”, we of course mean calling anyone who supports trans people, disagrees with JK Rowling, or isn’t actively transphobic, names like: ‘groomer’, ‘paedophile’, ‘homophobic’, or ‘misogynistic’.
Enter the usual suspects:
🚨 LATEST 🚨
Hate preacher Kellie-Jay Keen (aka Posie Parker), who is supported by the far right, has said that Graham Norton (@grahnort) has done terrible things in his life, and possibly needs his “hard drive checking”…
a term used to suggest that someone is a paedophile! pic.twitter.com/p4XOsEHLHj
— LGBWithTheT (@LGBwiththeT) October 14, 2022
The irony of them both being called Graham being that this clip could be Glinner talking to himself in a mirror rather than to Mr. Norton pic.twitter.com/H9MZ0ULrMr
— Arthur Webber 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ (@BernieTranders) October 13, 2022
Meanwhile, here is what other folk on Twitter had to say on the matter:
Graham Norton, asked about JK Rowling in a public interview, gives a thoughtful reply not even mentioning her, and simply says journalists should talk to experts and trans people about trans issues.
JKR responds by sneeringly trashing Graham on here cos that's who she is now— Dr Panti Bliss-Cabrera (@PantiBliss) October 13, 2022
Can people stop saying 'JK Rowling has every right to be heard because she is a woman?' She doesn't have some kind of gold plated, diamond encrusted uterus, millions of women disagree with her, but the Daily Mail isn't publishing our opinions because we're not rich.
— Ann Tories Out Coates 🦕🦖 (@setoacnna) October 14, 2022
Graham Norton is a member of the LGBTQ community expressing an opinion that affects his community.
Rowling and Linenan are straight people objecting to a gay man expressing his opinions.— Jason Reid (@JasonReidUK) October 13, 2022
Rowling then gaslights anyone watching the narrative unfold by framing herself as – quelle surprise – the victim in this scenario she created. The vulnerable one.
Before then going back to her own feed to gloat about how much money she has. I mean… 💀💀— Phil Clifton (@philclifton) October 13, 2022
Pretty telling that all Graham Norton needed to say was “listen to trans people” for Rowling to accuse him of supporting rape/death threats.
The trans community is not collectively responsible for every evil tweet ever sent. https://t.co/BSEsnTNsro— 🤦♂️ Andrew James Carter (@Carter_AndrewJ) October 13, 2022
JK Rowling flies into a libellous rage against musician Billy Bragg after Bragg agrees that media should talk to trans people about trans issues rather than JK Rowling.
In response, Rowling implies that Bragg has thrown his "support behind rape and death threats".#JKRvsLGBTQ pic.twitter.com/D6LKzOxXFk— Bad Writing Takes 🖊️🏳️🌈 (@BadWritingTakes) October 13, 2022
and *this* is why i cannot separate the art from the artist, she truly does not care about the harm she causes and is continuing to profit from royalties and the fandom’s refusal to divest pic.twitter.com/OswIr7hYtw
— david alexander (@DavidADC) October 13, 2022