The writer and screenwriter J.K. Rowling best known for creating the famous universe of “Harry Potter” got involved in a new controversy over transphobia this Thursday (1st), after calling Algerian athlete Imane Khelif a “man” and support your opponent, Angela Carini, who gave up the fight. Participants of the 2024 Olympic Games In Paris, France, Khelif was allowed to compete even after failing the gender test due to abnormalities in testosterone levels.
Imane Khelif was at the center of a controversy after competing against Italian Angela Carini on Thursday morning. This is because her opponent abandoned the fight after 46 seconds, claiming discomfort in her nose. Despite failing the gender test, it is not clear whether Imane identifies as a transgender woman. JK Rowling, on the contrary, said that Imane would be a “man beating a woman”.
“Watch this, then explain why you’re OK with a man beating up a woman in public for his entertainment. This is not sport. From the bullying cheater in red to the organizers who allowed this to happen, this is men reveling in their power over women,” the writer wrote on her X (formerly Twitter) profile.
Watch this (whole thread), then explain why you’re OK with a man beating a woman in public for your entertainment. This isn’t sport. From the bullying cheat in red all the way up to the organizers who allowed this to happen, this is men revealing in their power over women. https://t.co/u32FcDTy9p
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 1, 2024
On social media, JK Rowling also shared some comments from internet users, who said that Angela was right to prioritize her “physical well-being” over Imane.
In another post, Rowling wrote that “A young boxer has had everything she has worked for and trained for stolen because you allowed a man to step into the ring with her. You are a disgrace, #Paris24 will forever be tarnished by the brutal injustice done to Carini.
A young female boxer has just had everything she’s worked and trained for snatched away because you allowed a male to get in the ring with her. You’re a disgrace, your ‘safeguarding’ is a joke and #Paris24 will be forever tarnished by the brutal injustice done to Carini. https://t.co/JMKzVljpyr
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 1, 2024
JK Rowling has been involved in controversy before for her prejudiced statements against transgender people. Recently, the author criticized the actors in the “Harry Potter” films for publicly supporting the fight for transgender rights.
“Celebrities who have embraced a movement that aims to erode women’s hard-won rights and used their platforms to celebrate transition [de gênero] underage people can save their apologies for the traumatized people who detransition and the vulnerable women who still rely on single-gender spaces,” she wrote on social media.
The comment was referring to Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Emma Watson (Hermione), who publicly support the transgender community.
In 2023, JK Rowling took to social media to counter an image that read: “repeat after us: trans women are women.”
At the. pic.twitter.com/YhoHfKdeat
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 17, 2023
The author’s first comments about the transgender community came in 2020, when, also on social media, she shared an article that used the term “people who menstruate.” She questioned the expression and “joked” about the fact that there is already a word to describe this group: women.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
