Last year, J. K. Rowling attracted some negative publicity when she liked a tweet by an activist sympathetic to the TERF (Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist) movement. TERFs maintain that there is a common experience which comes from being born and going through the early stages of life female, and are concerned about the presence of transgender men (i.e. people born male who identify as, are transitioning to, or have transitioned to female) in women’s spaces. For an alternative and more critical view of the TERF movement, see this Vox article.
Earlier this week, she attracted significantly more publicity by tweeting:
Which has angered many of her progressive fans, who see “sex isn’t real” as a misstatement of the transgender position. She responded to her critics with this essay.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.
The debate has become toxic and I’m still trying to educate myself on the issue.