Let’s rewind. Rowling’s descent into transphobia began years ago, but her recent antics on X—where she’s doubled down on misgendering trans people and dismissing their lived realities—have plumbed new depths. In April 2025, she’s still at it, firing off posts that mock trans identities and frame their existence as a threat to women’s safety. Her rhetoric isn’t just harmful; it’s dangerously reductive, painting trans women as predators while ignoring the overwhelming evidence that they’re far more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators. Stats from New Zealand’s own Transgender Health Survey (2023) show trans individuals face disproportionate rates of assault and discrimination—43% reported physical or sexual violence in the past year—yet Rowling’s selective outrage conveniently sidesteps this.
Adding fuel to this fire, recent anti-trans rulings, like the UK’s High Court decision in March 2025 to uphold a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, have emboldened Rowling’s stance. This ruling, which dismissed evidence from global health bodies like the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, has been weaponized by transphobes to justify exclusionary policies. Far from protecting anyone, it’s sparked a surge in hate, with X posts showing a 30% (per data from the Anti-Defamation League) spike in anti-trans slurs in the UK since the stupid verdict was handed down. Rowling’s refusal to condemn this hatred, while amplifying narratives that dehumanize trans people, makes her complicity clear. Equating trans inclusion with danger isn’t just wrong...it’s a deliberate choice to fan the flames of bigotry, ignoring the difficulties trans youth face, who now face even greater barriers to acceptance and care.
What’s galling is her platform. With millions of views, Rowling could champion inclusivity, yet she chooses to wield her money and influence like a bludgeon. Her defenders cry “free speech,” but this isn’t about her right to speak—it’s about her trying to feel superior by using a megaphone to vilify a marginalized group. The Harry Potter fandom, once a haven for misfits, now grapples with her legacy. Fans in Aotearoa, from Wellington’s cosplay meetups to Dunedin’s book clubs, have voiced their heartbreak on X, with hashtags like #TransRightsAreHumanRights trending in response to her divisive outbursts.
Rowling’s arguments lean on a tired brand of feminism that pits women’s rights against trans inclusion, as if the two can’t coexist. This zero-sum game ignores the work of Kiwi activists like Trans Liberation, who’ve shown that gender-affirming care and women’s safety aren’t mutually exclusive. Her refusal to engage with these nuances (or with the trans community directly) reveals a stubbornness that’s less about principle and more about ego. When challenged, she retreats into victimhood, claiming she’s “canceled,” while her books still rake in millions and her poisonous voice drowns out those she targets.
The irony? Rowling’s own stories celebrated outsiders—muggle-borns, werewolves, house-elves—yet she can’t extend that compassion to trans people. Her hypocrisy is a slap in the face to every kid who found solace in Hogwarts while grappling with their identity. Here in New Zealand, Rowling’s views feel like a relic of a less enlightened era, a throwback to a time before LGBTQ+ rights were recognized as human rights.
So, J.K. Rowling, take a bow as our Arsehole of the Week. Your words have consequences, and they’re not magical or even all that interesting. Instead, they’re cruel and bigoted. Maybe it’s time to reread your own books and remember what it means to fight for the marginalized, not against them.
