JK Rowling hates trans people, but I want to talk a little bit about the *way* she hates them so you can recognize it in the wild

She says “Dress however you please” and “Call yourself whatever you like”

At first glance it sounds supportive, but it isn’t

It’s disengaging

She is taking a very real and concrete issue (the acceptance of trans people as humans with full rights and respect in society), minimizing it to some surface level features (appearance and names), and then abdicating any responsibility

She is purposefully mischaracterizing trans people as adults playing dress-up and then claiming to be fine with that...at a distance

The language she uses is similar to language used to minimize gay people

“You can kiss whoever you want behind closed doors!”

It’s also similar to the old favorite “I don’t care if you’re black, white, or purple!”

Purple people don’t exist, but now they’ve minimized the issue of racism and swept it away while claiming to be supportive

All of these phrases add up to the same message:

“I support you, as long as you don’t change my experiences or inconvenience me in any way.”

And that’s not actual support

These phrases are said by people who don’t know any trans, gay, or Black people. They say them because they know their communities won’t be impacted and their lives won’t change.

As soon as their lives *are* impacted, their support becomes conditional.

Beware people who offer blanket support at a distance.

As soon as that distance decreases, they will feel threatened.

They will push back.

Look for people who engage with systemic issues, who dig into the nuances, who question their own beliefs, who have empathy when they don’t have to.

sure!