Is J.K. Rowling homophobic?

It seems you can’t swing a magic wand these days without hitting a headline about J.K. Rowling and accusations of homophobia. But is there any truth to the claims that Rowling is homophobic?

In recent years, Rowling has made a series of statements and tweets that many have interpreted as transphobic. This began in 2019 when she tweeted support for Maya Forstater, a researcher who lost her job after stating that people cannot change their biological sex.

Rowling followed this up with an essay in 2020 where she expressed concerns about “the huge explosion in young women wishing to transition” and the potential negative impacts of more inclusive policies for trans people. While these comments were focused on transgender issues rather than homosexuality per se, many in the LGBTQ+ community saw them as part of a broader pattern of intolerance.

Rowling’s Rigid Reality

It’s not like Rowling’s transphobia exists in a vacuum. Her views on gender and sexuality seem to be rooted in a deeply essentialist and binary understanding of what it means to be a man or a woman. In her infamous essay, she rails against the idea that womanhood is anything other than a biological reality determined by chromosomes and reproductive organs. This rigid, exclusionary definition of gender leaves little room for the beautiful diversity of queer identities.

Moreover, Rowling’s insistence on conflating sex and gender ignores the lived experiences of intersex, non-binary, and yes, transgender individuals. By reducing the complexities of gender identity to what’s in one’s pants, she perpetuates the kind of ignorance and intolerance that has long been used to justify discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.

Rowling’s tweets and essays are hardly the only evidence of her questionable views. Let’s not forget her penchant for queerbaiting – hinting at queer representation in her books without ever fully delivering. Sure, she retroactively declared Dumbledore gay, but only after the series was finished and his sexuality was safely irrelevant. And don’t even get me started on the racist stereotypes and cultural appropriation rampant in her writing. (Looking at you, goblins of Gringotts.)

Furthermore, in September 2020, Rowling released a book titled Troubled Blood under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The book was criticized because it featured a male serial killer who dresses as a woman to kill his victims. This clearly reinforces harmful stereotypes about transgender people.

At this point, you might be thinking, “Okay, so Rowling’s not exactly winning any awards from GLAAD. But does that make her homophobic?” 

Well, I would argue that it does. Homophobia, like all forms of bigotry, exists on a spectrum. It’s also the subtler, more insidious ways in which queer identities are erased, invalidated, and marginalized. When Rowling denies the reality of trans experiences or reduces queerness to a vaguely titillating footnote, she is perpetuating homophobia, whether she intends to or not.

Rowling’s so-called “support” for the queer community feels a lot like lip service when you look at her actions as a whole. She consistently platforms and amplifies the voices of notorious TERFs and transphobes. Actions speak louder than words, and Rowling’s actions paint a pretty clear picture of where her allegiances lie.

She may not be calling for the outright persecution of LGBTQ+ people, but her words and actions contribute to a culture of intolerance and marginalization. And frankly, that’s just not something we can afford to ignore or excuse anymore.

It’s time for some uncomfortable conversations

Rowling’s statements have also been met with public responses from actors associated with the Harry Potter franchise. “Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I”, Radcliffe argued in one of his blogs (via The Trevor Project).

Maybe it’s time to demand better from the people we admire and the stories we hold dear. After all, isn’t that what Harry Potter taught us? To stand up for what’s right, even when it’s hard? To fight against injustice and bigotry, even when it comes from those we once respected? If J.K. Rowling can’t live up to the values she once espoused in her own damn books, then perhaps it’s time for us to find new heroes. 

Heroes who understand that love is love, that trans women are women, and that queer identities are valid and valuable and real. Because at the end of the day, that’s what this is all about. Not a children’s book author, not a Twitter scandal, but the fundamental humanity and dignity of LGBTQ+ people. And that is something worth fighting for, with or without a magic wand.