Arts & Entertainment

Transphobic interaction between J.K. Rowling and Matt Walsh enrages Twitter users

J.K. Rowling continues getting herself involved in gender-related debates.

Published

4 years ago

July 12, 2022

J.K. Rowling continues getting involved in gender-related debates. Her recent interactions with right-wing commentator Matt Walsh were condemned by Twitter users.

Last week, American singer Macy Gray appeared on British TV show “Piers Morgan Uncensored'” and made controversial comments about transgender women. She first defined women as “a human being with boobs” and “a vagina,” and further stated, “and I will say this, and everybody’s gonna hate me, but as a woman, just because you go change your parts doesn’t make you a woman. Sorry.”

Gray afterwards apologized for her comments on NBC’s Today Show. “I said some things that didn’t go over well, but my intention was never to hurt anybody. I feel bad that I did hurt some people,” she said.

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh described Gray’s latest statement as “gutless cowardice.”

Walsh posted a tweet on July 9 and wrote, “Sorry but women who publicly renounce the definition of “woman” for fear of mean comments from trans activists deserve all the scorn they get. That kind of gutless cowardice is exactly what got us into this position in the first place.”

Sorry but women who publicly renounce the definition of “woman” for fear of mean comments from trans activists deserve all the scorn they get. That kind of gutless cowardice is exactly what got us into this position in the first place. https://t.co/dM9mk1ej5d

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) July 9, 2022

The next day, Rowling chimed in on the discussion and criticized Walsh’s post against Gray, “Endless death and rape threats, threats of loss of livelihood, employers targeted, physical harassment, family address posted online with picture of bomb-making manual aren’t ‘mean comments’. If you don’t yet understand what happens to women who stand up on this issue, back off.”

Endless death and rape threats, threats of loss of livelihood, employers targeted, physical harassment, family address posted online with picture of bomb-making manual aren’t ‘mean comments’. If you don’t yet understand what happens to women who stand up on this issue, back off. https://t.co/qWTcGZML97

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 10, 2022

Walsh praised Rowling’s “courage” in speaking out, and said “many people have simply caved to the demands of trans activists and completely surrendered truth and reality to them. The cowards are also villains in this story. They need to be held accountable.”

Rowling tweeted back and praised Walsh’s latest film What is a Woman?, which was largely condemned due to its transphobic content.

“And your film did a good job exposing the incoherence of gender identity theory and some of the harms it’s done. Many institutions I used to admire have uncritically embraced this dogma, but I reserve my ire for them rather than shouting ‘coward’ at individual women,” Rowling wrote.

And your film did a good job exposing the incoherence of gender identity theory and some of the harms it’s done. Many institutions I used to admire have uncritically embraced this dogma, but I reserve my ire for them rather than shouting ‘coward’ at individual women.

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 10, 2022

These interactions between Rowling and Walsh got blasted online. Numerous Twitter users criticized Rowling for her positive feedback toward Walsh’s anti-trans work.

My new favorite genre is TERF’s like JK Rowling praising christofascists for their transphobia.

People need to wake up at how transphobia is being used as a gateway to radicalize wealthy white women into reactionary fascist views. pic.twitter.com/OgXWsskp17

— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) July 10, 2022

JK Rowling knows she can’t be harsh on Matt Walsh because Gender Critical and TERFs are so cozied up to right wing anti-feminism that they are inseparable.

When orgs like WoLF (terf group) partner with the Heritage Foundation (anti abortion group), this should surprise no one. pic.twitter.com/Ttdt4lai0Y

— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) July 11, 2022

Just JK Rowling, praising self-described “theocratic fascist” Matt Walsh. Terfs and fascists, united. I’ll keep saying it: the anti-trans radicalisation pipeline to right wing extremism and open fascism is a short one. pic.twitter.com/mOMJKlJfpB

— Annika Brockschmidt (@ardenthistorian) July 10, 2022

J.K. Rowling has long been known for her “trans-exclusionary radical feminist,” or TERF, perspectives.

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Books

New book reveals what we can learn from animal sex

‘Poking the Squid’ on homosexuality, gender swapping, and more

Published

8 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Book cover image courtesy W.W. Norton)

‘Poking the Squid: What We Can Learn from Animal Sex’
By Perrin Roosevelt Ireland
c.2026, W.W. Norton
$29.99 241 pages

Birds do it.

According to Cole Porter, bees do, too, but it’s not exactly what he imagined. Wild and tame, avians, insects, and mammals all have sex – although not always as you’ve been told or for reasons you might think. Even educated fleas do it and, as in the new book, “Poking the Squid” by Perrin Roosevelt Ireland, humans can learn from them all.

If you read through scientific papers on animal reproduction, you might notice something unusual: for scientists, the word “sex” means a lot of different things.

Says Ireland, “It’s used to describe behaviors, biology, life histories, and more.”

That might be because animals are not simply binary.

Take, for instance, hyenas. It’s easy for the casual observer to mistake a male hyena for a female and vice versa because of stereotypes of anatomy. Mating, for hyenas, requires subordination for the male and a nifty trick on the part of the female’s body to get things done.

Our feathered friends are no birdbrains, either: black-browed albatrosses were once thought to be monogamous but global warming seems to have changed their nesting habits sometimes. Male flamingos have sex with one another, as a territorial thing; other birds and animals form same-sex pairs for other reasons.

The Chinese mantis eats her mate after fertilization. Female snakes, alpacas, guinea pigs, and monkeys are anatomically able to enjoy sex. Genitalia between species varies quite a bit; in fact, the vaginas of ducks “are highly complex.” Lionesses will mate up to 100 times when in heat. Female damselflies will change into a “third sex” to avoid overly aggressive mating males. Bearded dragons can change their sex, if needed, as can yellow clown goby fish. And seahorse pregnancy and birth sparked a book banning in Tennessee.

So, asks Ireland, if animals, including us, vary so much in biology and life, “… why are we using the word sex like it means something, anything, consistent?!”

Pick up “Poking the Squid,” page through it a few seconds, and you’ll see that the information here is largely told through cartoon-like drawings mixed with captions. It seems to be something on the lighter side, but don’t let that artwork fool you.

Author Perrin Roosevelt Ireland offers readers solid information that cozies up to the scholarly, with hard science, philosophy, feminism, and quotations from researchers to support it, thus furthering the narrative and hitting the points squarely. If you see the art and expect something lighthearted, comic, and small-talk-worthy, you could be disappointed.

On the other hand, if you want solid, wryly serious facts, you’re in for a treat.

There’s lots of learning to be gleaned here, and some slight nudge-wink whimsy to emphasize the absurdity of wrong-headed thinking. This can make readers feel like they’re in-the-know on the jokes, and the playfulness balances the seriousness of the information well.

So, serious, scholarly, or slightly silly, none of these are negative but you’re going to know what you want from a book like this. For the right reader, someone in the mood, “Poking the Squid” is wild.

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