Political views of J. K. Rowling: Difference between revisions
m Undid revision 961671573 by Crossroads (talk) this is the more detailed article of the two, and even if the main article shouldn't include the trevor project (debatable), this one definitely should. |
Crossroads (talk | contribs) Undid revision 961741242 by YuvalNehemia (talk) Nope, WP:NOTNEWS and *especially* in your case WP:ONUS apply here too. And as far as I'm concerned, this article is an unneeded WP:POVFORK. But that's for another day. |
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On 6 June 2020, Rowling tweeted criticism of the phrase "people who menstruate",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.devex.com/news/sponsored/opinion-creating-a-more-equal-post-covid-19-world-for-people-who-menstruate-97312|title=Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate|website=devex|date=28 May 2020</ref> claiming it constituted "[erasure of the] reality of women globally" and accusing it of "erasing the concept of sex".<ref>{{cite tweet|user=jk_rowling|author=J.K. Rowling|number=1269382518362509313|date=6 June 2020|title=‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet|user=jk_rowling|author=J.K. Rowling|number=1269389298664701952|date=6 June 2020|title=If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.}}</ref> These tweets were criticised by [[GLAAD]], who called them "anti-trans", "cruel", and "an ideology which willfully distorts facts about gender identity and people who are trans".<ref>{{cite tweet|user=glaad|author=GLAAD|number=1269420540856590337|date=6 June 2020|title=JK Rowling continues to align herself with an ideology which willfully distorts facts about gender identity and people who are trans... We stand with trans youth, especially those Harry Potter fans hurt by her inaccurate and cruel tweets.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/jk-rowling-transphobic-tweets-controversy-1234627081/|title=J.K. Rowling Gets Backlash Over Anti-Trans Tweets|last=Moreau|first=Jordan|website=[[Variety (magazine)]]|date=6 June 2020}}</ref><br/> |
On 6 June 2020, Rowling tweeted criticism of the phrase "people who menstruate",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.devex.com/news/sponsored/opinion-creating-a-more-equal-post-covid-19-world-for-people-who-menstruate-97312|title=Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate|website=devex|date=28 May 2020</ref> claiming it constituted "[erasure of the] reality of women globally" and accusing it of "erasing the concept of sex".<ref>{{cite tweet|user=jk_rowling|author=J.K. Rowling|number=1269382518362509313|date=6 June 2020|title=‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet|user=jk_rowling|author=J.K. Rowling|number=1269389298664701952|date=6 June 2020|title=If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.}}</ref> These tweets were criticised by [[GLAAD]], who called them "anti-trans", "cruel", and "an ideology which willfully distorts facts about gender identity and people who are trans".<ref>{{cite tweet|user=glaad|author=GLAAD|number=1269420540856590337|date=6 June 2020|title=JK Rowling continues to align herself with an ideology which willfully distorts facts about gender identity and people who are trans... We stand with trans youth, especially those Harry Potter fans hurt by her inaccurate and cruel tweets.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/jk-rowling-transphobic-tweets-controversy-1234627081/|title=J.K. Rowling Gets Backlash Over Anti-Trans Tweets|last=Moreau|first=Jordan|website=[[Variety (magazine)]]|date=6 June 2020}}</ref><br/> |
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On 8 June, actor [[Daniel Radcliffe]] replied to the controversy via [[The Trevor Project]], saying that "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. It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/daniel-radcliffe-jk-rowling-transgender-women-are-women-1234628404/|title=Daniel Radcliffe Responds to J.K. Rowling’s Anti-Trans Tweets: ‘Transgender Women Are Women’|last=Vary|first=Adam B.|website=[[Variety (magazine)]]|date=8 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetrevorproject.org/2020/06/08/daniel-radcliffe-responds-to-j-k-rowlings-tweets-on-gender-identity/|title=DANIEL RADCLIFFE RESPONDS TO J.K. ROWLING’S TWEETS ON GENDER IDENTITY|last=Radcliffe|first=Daniel|website=[[The Trevor Project]] website|date=8 June 2020}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
Revision as of 04:45, 10 June 2020
British author J. K. Rowling is a noted philanthropist and maintains links on her website promoting Amnesty International, the Multiple sclerosis Society, One Parent Families, and Lumos (formerly the Children's High Level Group), which Rowling co-founded to advocate against the use of cage beds for mentally handicapped children. Rowling says her heroine is muckraker Jessica Mitford, whom Rowling describes as a "self-taught socialist".[1] Rowling acknowledges being left-wing and said "there is a certain amount of political stuff in [Harry Potter]. But I also feel that every reader will bring his own agenda to the book. People who send their children to boarding schools seem to feel that I'm on their side. I'm not. Practicing Wiccans think I'm also a witch. I'm not."[2]
UK politics
J. K. Rowling has been a long-time friend of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah Brown. In September 2008, Rowling donated £1 million to the Labour Party, saying:
I believe that poor and vulnerable families will fare much better under the Labour Party than they would under a Cameron-led Conservative Party. Gordon Brown has consistently prioritised and introduced measures that will save as many children as possible from a life lacking in opportunity or choice. The Labour government has reversed the long-term trend in child poverty, and is one of the leading EU countries in combating child poverty. David Cameron's promise of tax perks for the married, on the other hand, is reminiscent of the Conservative government I experienced as a lone parent. It sends the message that the Conservatives still believe a childless, dual-income, but married couple is more deserving of a financial pat on the head than those struggling, as I once was, to keep their families afloat in difficult times.[3]
Rowling praised Brown in a 2009 Time magazine essay saying she "still wanted him in charge".[4] Rowling wrote about what it meant to be British saying, "It means a welfare state of which we should be fiercely proud and a tradition of tolerance and free speech we should defend to our last collective breath." Rowling also praised the National Health Service (NHS).[5] Rowling has been critical of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.[6][7]
Scottish politics
Scottish independence campaign
As a resident of Scotland, Rowling was eligible to vote in the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence, and intended to vote "No".[8] She donated £1 million (US$1,694,000) to the Better Together anti-independence campaign,[9] led by former neighbour and friend Alistair Darling, and used the "Death Eaters" characters from her Harry Potter series—who reject wizards unless they have pure blood—as a reference in her blog-post explanation of her donation; Rowling's words are: "However, when people try to make this debate about the purity of your lineage, things start getting a little Death Eaterish for my taste."[10] In Rowling's post-donation blog post in mid-June 2014, she explained that she is "friendly" with members of both campaigns and stated a belief that "there are intelligent, thoughtful people on both sides of this question".[11]
While Rowling concluded that "If the majority of people in Scotland want independence I truly hope that it is a resounding success" and that her "love" for Scotland is why she wants it to "thrive", she explains in the body of her piece that she is concerned about "serious risks", with Scottish medical research of particular interest to her—Rowling has donated a large sum of money to multiple sclerosis research after her mother's death from the disease. Rowling's fear was triggered by an open letter co-signed by all five of Scotland's medical schools, in which "grave concerns" are expressed about the impact of independence upon Scotland's highly regarded medical work. The letter, which says that First Minister Alex Salmond’s plans for a common research funding area are "fraught with difficulty" and "unlikely to come to fruition", is supported by 14 professors, who all agree that "it is highly unlikely that the remaining UK would tolerate a situation in which an independent 'competitor' country won more money than it contributed."[11]
The Edinburgh-based National Collective organisation of artists and writers who support independence—"non-party movement for artists and creatives who support Scottish independence"—published an open letter in response to Rowling's explanation on 11 June 2014, signed by Teaching Research Assistant and freelancer Mairi McFadyen.[12] McFadyen states that she is "saddened" by Rowling's position, but asserts that "It is not my intention here to rebut your arguments, but rather to offer a response." McFadyen writes that the referendum is "the most wonderful gift", as citizens of their own country are asked for their opinion about their nation's future, and the "referendum question has sparked the imagination of the nation". McFadyen concludes with several quotes taken from a speech delivered by Rowling, as well as a poem from Maurice Lindsay, and concludes: "We would be delighted to extend an invitation to yourself to attend one of the many Yestival events taking place across Scotland this July."[13]
Scottish Nationalism
In 2018, Rowling was met with controversy after tweeting that she was tired of "blood and soil ethno-nationalists marching with" civic campaigners. She also said that Scottish nationalism "contains traces of bigotry".[14]
US politics
Rowling told a Spanish newspaper in February 2008 that "the international political stance of the United States has been wrong in previous years, for its own and for my country... I want a Democrat in the White House. It's sad Obama and Clinton are rivals because they are both great."[15] In 2009, Obama returned the compliment when he met Rowling at a G20 dinner telling her that he had read all her books himself and to his children Sasha and Malia.[16]
Rowling advised the 2008 graduating class of Harvard, "the great majority of you belong to the world's only remaining superpower. The way you vote, the way you live, the way you protest, the pressure you bring to bear on your government, has an impact way beyond your borders. That is your privilege, and your burden."[17]
The Presidential Medal of Freedom was allegedly refused to be awarded to Rowling under George W. Bush, because her writing "encouraged witchcraft". This was claimed by Matt Latimer, a former speechwriter for Bush, who went on to write a memoir about his time in the administration,[18] although then First Lady Laura Bush had declared a fondness for the books.[19]
Rowling made analogies between Donald Trump and Voldemort after the Republican presidential candidate called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States on 7 December 2015.[20]
Amnesty International
Her employment at Amnesty International made Rowling realise that "imagination is what allows us to empathise with people who have suffered horribly and to act on their behalf." The danger of inaction, Rowling said, comes from people who "prefer not to exercise their imaginations at all. They choose to remain comfortably within the bounds of their own experience, never troubling to wonder how it would feel to have been born other than they are. They can refuse to hear screams or to peer inside cages. They can close their minds and hearts to any suffering that does not touch them personally; they can refuse to know."
"I might be tempted to envy people who can live that way, except that I do not think they have any fewer nightmares than I do. Choosing to live in narrow spaces leads to a form of mental agoraphobia, and that brings its own terrors. I think the wilfully unimaginative see more monsters. They are often more afraid."[17]
Green values
J. K. Rowling was recognised with the Order of the Forest for demanding that 16 publishers around the world print her books using "eco-friendly" papers. The last book in the Potter series is considered within the industry to be the most environmentally friendly in publishing history.[21]
In 2008, J. K. Rowling blocked the Finnish publication of her latest Harry Potter novel on paper from Finland because it lacked the ecologically friendly certification she favours.[22]
Eating disorders
Rowling used her celebrity status on her personal website to advocate her views on skinny, celebrity role models. Rowling said these young women's "only function in the world appears to be supporting the trade in overpriced handbags and rat-sized dogs."[23]
Simon Walters, political editor of the Mail on Sunday, complained that Rowling's attack on weight standards was hypocritical because so many evil characters in her books, such as Dudley and Vernon Dursley, are fat, while Harry Potter himself is so skinny.[24] Rowling responded to her critics by saying that the people in the Harry Potter books who are "on the plumper side" include "several of my most important, admirable and loveable characters". She included a link to a fan website – www.mugglenet.com – that lists seven characters who are "fat and good", three who are "fat and bad" and claims there are none who are "fat and evil". However, there were skinny and evil characters in the series.[25]
Age branding of children's books
Rowling has publicly opposed the labelling of children's books as "age appropriate".[26]
Israel
On 22 October 2015, a letter was published in The Guardian signed by Rowling (along with over 150 other figures from arts and politics) opposing the cultural boycott of Israel, and announcing the creation of a network for dialogue, called Culture for Coexistence.[27] Rowling later explained her position in more detail, saying that although she opposed most of Benjamin Netanyahu's actions she did not think the cultural boycott would bring about the removal of Israel's leader or help improve the situation in Israel and Palestine.[28]
European migrant crisis
In 2015 Rowling expressed support for refugees.[29][30] By 2017 a petition asking her to shelter immigrants on her property acquired over 50,000 signatures.
Abortion
Rowling expressed her opposition to Mexico City Policy, when it was reinstated by Donald Trump, and said that she supported abortion rights, specially in Third World countries.[31]
Transgender rights
On 19 December 2019, Rowling tweeted her support for Maya Forstater, who lost her employment tribunal against her former employer, the Center for Global Development. Forstater had argued that her contract was not renewed after she expressed "gender-critical" views on Twitter, and that her views on biological sex should be considered a protected belief under the Equality Act 2010. However, the tribunal judge ruled against her, describing her views as "absolutist".[32]
On 6 June 2020, Rowling tweeted criticism of the phrase "people who menstruate",[33] claiming it constituted "[erasure of the] reality of women globally" and accusing it of "erasing the concept of sex".[34][35] These tweets were criticised by GLAAD, who called them "anti-trans", "cruel", and "an ideology which willfully distorts facts about gender identity and people who are trans".[36][37]
References
- ^ "Accio Quote!, the Largest Archive of J. K. Rowling quotes on the web". Accio-quote.org. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ^ [1] Jensen, Jeff. "'Fire' Storm", Entertainment Weekly, 7 September 2000
- ^ Ben Leach (20 September 2008). "Harry Potter author JK Rowling gives £1 million to Labour". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
- ^ J. K., Rowling (30 May 2009). "Gordon Brown". Time. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
- ^ What does it mean to be British? Archived 2 February 2010 at the UK Government Web Archive
- ^ Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/aug/31/this-isnt-bloody-funny-jk-rowling-laments-corbyns-strong-position
- ^ Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/09/25/jk-rowling-labour-party-has-turned-solipsistic-personality-cult/
- ^ Decca Aitkenhead (22 September 2012). "JK Rowling: 'The worst that can happen is that everyone says, That's shockingly bad'". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
- ^ Carrell, Severin (11 June 2014). "JK Rowling donates £1m to Scotland's anti-independence campaign". theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
- ^ "JK Rowling donates £1m to Scottish independence 'No' campaign and calls some nationalists 'Death Eaters'". The Independent. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- ^ a b J.K. Rowling (June 2014). "J.K. Rowling explains why she is supporting the Better Together Campaign". J.K. Rowling. J.K. Rowling. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
- ^ "About Us". National Collective. National Collective. 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
- ^ Mairi McFadyen (11 June 2014). "An Open Letter To J.K. Rowling". National Collective. National Collective. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
- ^ Alison Flood (6 July 2018). "JK Rowling attacked for saying Scottish nationalism 'contains traces of bigotry'". The Guardian.
- ^ "Ser invisible... eso sería lo más". El Pais (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 February 2008.
- ^ Pierce, Andrew (2 April 2009). "G20 summit: Barack Obama is a fan of Harry Potter". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
- ^ a b Rowling, J. K. (5 June 2008). "The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination". Harvard Magazine. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
- ^ "Bush Officials Refused Award to J. K. Rowling Because of "Witchcraft" Writing, Book Claims". Fox News. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
- ^ "Laura Bush Can't Get Enough of Those Harry Potter Books". NY Mag. 23 April 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
- ^ "Donald Trump is 'worse than Voldemort', says Harry Potter author JK Rowling". Daily Telegraph. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ JK Rowling wins the 'Order of the Forest' Archived 25 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine Financial Post
- ^ "Special Paper Required for Harry Potter Book". The New York Times. 24 January 2008. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
- ^ Lipman, Maureen (16 July 2008). "JK Rowling is right about skinny models – but nothing will change while men still run the fashion world". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ^ "The ULTIMATE Harry Potter Site". MuggleNet. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ^ "Some of my best characters are fat, Rowling insists". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ^ Lindesay Irvine (3 July 2008). "JK Rowling says no to age banding on children's books". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
- ^ Various (22 October 2015). "Israel needs cultural bridges, not boycotts – letter from JK Rowling, Simon Schama and others". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- ^ "Cultural boycotts:=JK Rowling". Twitlong. UK. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ^ Morris, Linda (4 September 2015). "J.K. Rowling, John Green, Patrick Ness unite authors to spur refugee social media fundraiser" – via The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ "J.K. Rowling, One Direction, Olivia Wilde Express Support for European Refugees".
- ^ "J.K. Rowling Takes Down Trump For Reinstating Anti-Abortion Rule". 24 January 2017.
- ^ "Maya Forstater: Woman sacked over trans tweets loses tribunal". BBC News. December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
- ^ {{cite web|url=https://www.devex.com/news/sponsored/opinion-creating-a-more-equal-post-covid-19-world-for-people-who-menstruate-97312%7Ctitle=Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate|website=devex|date=28 May 2020
- ^ J.K. Rowling [@jk_rowling] (6 June 2020). "'People who menstruate.' I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ J.K. Rowling [@jk_rowling] (6 June 2020). "If sex isn't real, there's no same-sex attraction. If sex isn't real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn't hate to speak the truth" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ GLAAD [@glaad] (6 June 2020). "JK Rowling continues to align herself with an ideology which willfully distorts facts about gender identity and people who are trans... We stand with trans youth, especially those Harry Potter fans hurt by her inaccurate and cruel tweets" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Moreau, Jordan (6 June 2020). "J.K. Rowling Gets Backlash Over Anti-Trans Tweets". Variety (magazine).