I think she’s the most famous anti-trans activist, but that’s not the same as being the most influential. You might watch ContraPoints’ videos on JK Rowling, she discusses the analogy of JK Rowling to Anita Bryant (a famous homophobe)
In the end I agree with ContraPoints that JK Rowling has outsized hate directed at her relative to the harm she actually does, and that there is a misogynist tendency for people to target a woman to take out their frustrations on. Marie Antoinette is another example of this - the perceptions of her as a villain exceeded her actual crimes so to speak.
My point isn’t to say Rowling is not a transphobe or not dangerous to trans folks, etc. - I just believe there are plenty of anti-trans activists who are more successful as activists and are more influential than JK Rowling, even if they don’t end up in the headlines as much. That is, they are getting more done to strip trans folks of their rights than JK Rowling, and that’s what I meant by “influential” - as in having power and influence to achieve the political goals of the anti-trans movement.
Matt Walsh for example has basically made a career of advocating against trans folks - creating anti-trans propaganda like What is a Woman?, and going to state legislatures to help pass laws against trans rights. I think he is less famous than JK Rowling, and has a smaller platform - but I would argue he has been more successful at advancing the anti-trans movement than Rowling, and the tangible harms from him are greater.
As far as I can tell, JK Rowling has primarily tweeted her support for the anti-trans movement, then she started funding women-only spaces that are trans-exclusionary, and only recently (as in since last year) has started a fund to help anti-trans legal cases. None of those activities are anywhere as “influential” or effective as the anti-trans activism by others who have actually influenced legislatures and had laws passed to deny healthcare and legal rights.
I would even say Chloe Cole has done more to advance the anti-trans movement than Rowling, for example. She is flown across the U.S. and now across the world to speak on the news and in legislative sessions to help anti-trans laws to be passed.
It’s obvious Rowling is transphobic and is now using her influence to advance the anti-trans movement, I just think the perception of her influence is greater than her actual accomplishments as an anti-trans advocate.
Trump alone has done more to undo trans rights recently than anyone else, people I know personally have lost access to HRT as an adult because of his executive orders. Rowling has never accomplished anything that significant AFAIK.
ContaPoints does a better job evaluating some of this in her videos, I know they are long but I think they’re worth watching and considering.
These are good points. Fair enough, I would retract my statement to her being perhaps the most famous instead of most influential. Fame of course has its own influence though, so it’s still a big problem. A win against JK rowling could possibly be better than a win against Matt Walsh.
I disagree that it’s misognyistic to have such an opinion of JK Rowling. In fact, I think it is misogynistic to suggest that because she’s a woman, we shouldn’t take her at her word for fear that our hatred of her might be motivated by misogyny instead of rationality.
I would agree it’s not misogynistic to think JK Rowling is one of the most infamous transphobes, but that wasn’t quite ContraPoints’ argument. I am admittedly sharing the conclusion without providing her argument, and I’m actually in the hospital right now recovering from surgery so my head is a bit fuzzier than usual. If you watch those videos it should cover that territory though, in case you are interested. Either way I get what you mean about Rowling being so famous and influential in her transphobia, I tend to agree with you.
EDIT: it’s the second video, the Witch Trials of JK Rowling that has the argument I’m talking about, the way that women bigots in particular are such popular targets of outrage. The first chapter of that video is entirely about Anita Bryant as an example.
I think she’s the most famous anti-trans activist, but that’s not the same as being the most influential. You might watch ContraPoints’ videos on JK Rowling, she discusses the analogy of JK Rowling to Anita Bryant (a famous homophobe)
here is her first video on JK Rowling establishing that she is indeed a transphobe, there was a time when a lot of people wouldn’t accept that Rowling was actually transphobic
and then her second video covering the “witch trials” of Rowling as a transphobe.
In the end I agree with ContraPoints that JK Rowling has outsized hate directed at her relative to the harm she actually does, and that there is a misogynist tendency for people to target a woman to take out their frustrations on. Marie Antoinette is another example of this - the perceptions of her as a villain exceeded her actual crimes so to speak.
My point isn’t to say Rowling is not a transphobe or not dangerous to trans folks, etc. - I just believe there are plenty of anti-trans activists who are more successful as activists and are more influential than JK Rowling, even if they don’t end up in the headlines as much. That is, they are getting more done to strip trans folks of their rights than JK Rowling, and that’s what I meant by “influential” - as in having power and influence to achieve the political goals of the anti-trans movement.
Matt Walsh for example has basically made a career of advocating against trans folks - creating anti-trans propaganda like What is a Woman?, and going to state legislatures to help pass laws against trans rights. I think he is less famous than JK Rowling, and has a smaller platform - but I would argue he has been more successful at advancing the anti-trans movement than Rowling, and the tangible harms from him are greater.
As far as I can tell, JK Rowling has primarily tweeted her support for the anti-trans movement, then she started funding women-only spaces that are trans-exclusionary, and only recently (as in since last year) has started a fund to help anti-trans legal cases. None of those activities are anywhere as “influential” or effective as the anti-trans activism by others who have actually influenced legislatures and had laws passed to deny healthcare and legal rights.
I would even say Chloe Cole has done more to advance the anti-trans movement than Rowling, for example. She is flown across the U.S. and now across the world to speak on the news and in legislative sessions to help anti-trans laws to be passed.
It’s obvious Rowling is transphobic and is now using her influence to advance the anti-trans movement, I just think the perception of her influence is greater than her actual accomplishments as an anti-trans advocate.
Trump alone has done more to undo trans rights recently than anyone else, people I know personally have lost access to HRT as an adult because of his executive orders. Rowling has never accomplished anything that significant AFAIK.
ContaPoints does a better job evaluating some of this in her videos, I know they are long but I think they’re worth watching and considering.
These are good points. Fair enough, I would retract my statement to her being perhaps the most famous instead of most influential. Fame of course has its own influence though, so it’s still a big problem. A win against JK rowling could possibly be better than a win against Matt Walsh.
I disagree that it’s misognyistic to have such an opinion of JK Rowling. In fact, I think it is misogynistic to suggest that because she’s a woman, we shouldn’t take her at her word for fear that our hatred of her might be motivated by misogyny instead of rationality.
I would agree it’s not misogynistic to think JK Rowling is one of the most infamous transphobes, but that wasn’t quite ContraPoints’ argument. I am admittedly sharing the conclusion without providing her argument, and I’m actually in the hospital right now recovering from surgery so my head is a bit fuzzier than usual. If you watch those videos it should cover that territory though, in case you are interested. Either way I get what you mean about Rowling being so famous and influential in her transphobia, I tend to agree with you.
EDIT: it’s the second video, the Witch Trials of JK Rowling that has the argument I’m talking about, the way that women bigots in particular are such popular targets of outrage. The first chapter of that video is entirely about Anita Bryant as an example.
I do enjoy ContraPoints. I saw one of those videos, I’ll check out the other one. Cheers