Latest news with #TERF
News.com.au
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Stephen Fry accuses ‘lost cause' J.K. Rowling of being ‘radicalised'
The British actor, broadcaster and writer has criticised the Harry Potter author for her outspoken views on transgender rights. During a recent appearance on The Show People podcast, Fry, who narrated the audiobooks for all seven Harry Potter novels, declared that he disagrees "profoundly" with Rowling's views. "She has been radicalised, I fear - perhaps by TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists), but also by the vitriol that is thrown at her.' 'It is unhelpful and only hardens her. I'm afraid she seems to be a lost cause for us."
Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
‘There are many differences between us, George': J.K. Rowling shuts down Boy George in savage online exchange over trans rights
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has shut down Boy George in a savage online exchange over transgender rights as the 'Karma Chameleon' singer's history of violent assault resurfaces. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has shut down Boy George in a savage online exchange over transgender rights as the pop star's history of violent assault resurfaced. The 'Karma Chameleon' singer initially reposted Rowling's response to another account which claimed the author and her 'TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) army' had taken the 'freedom to live without constant persecution' from trans people. Boy George, 64, added to the pile on of the billionaire writer and said trans people have also had their 'right to be left alone by a rich bored bully' taken away. Rowling, 59, punched out a more than 300-word response addressing Boy George's 11-word sledge. 'There are many differences between us, George,' Rowling wrote. The Harry Potter author outlined how she was a woman and Boy George was a man, that he had been wealthy and famous since he was in his early 20s, while she had not become well known until she was more than a decade older. Rowling then pointed out how she had never been given 15 months for 'handcuffing a man to a wall and beating him with a chain', referring to his 2007 assault of Audun Carlsen, a Norwegian model and male escort. 'For more than half my life I was a regular anonymous person. Some of those years were spent in poverty. That's why I understand the importance of single-sex spaces for women who're reliant on state-funded services,' Rowling wrote. 'That's why I understand why mixed public changing rooms are a problem for women. That's why I have a problem with men 'identifying' into women's rape crisis centres, domestic abuse and homeless shelters that are supposed to be single-sex.' — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 15, 2025 Rowling continued her onslaught against the 64-year-old musician while simultaneously explaining her stance on freedom of expression. 'My life has taught me exactly how vulnerable women are when they don't have the money/influence I have now. You yourself have been convicted of violent assault. The overwhelming number of people who commit crimes of violence are male, just like you,' Rowling said. 'That's why I don't want to see men identifying into women's prison cells or any of the spaces mentioned above. Not all men are violent or predatory, but enough are to make safeguarding necessary.' Rowling signed off by writing about her belief in freedom of speech before hitting out at Boy George as being 'tediously conformist'. 'As we both know, the safe, fashionable thing in the arts world right now is to do exactly what you're doing: parrot TWAW (Trans Women Are Women) and sneer at the unenlightened plebs who think sex is important and matters,' she wrote. 'For a man who was once all about non-conformity, George, you couldn't have become more predictably or more tediously conformist.' In 2009, Boy George, whose name Is George O'Dowd, was sentenced to 15 months for falsely imprisoning a male escort and beating him with a metal chain after handcuffing him to a wall. He was given early release after four months on 11 May 2009. Rowling has previously mocked the phrase "people who menstruate", said women's rights and "lived reality" would be "erased" if "sex isn't real", and called a list of trans women "men, every last one of them".
The Guardian
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘British feminism needs reshaping': Kate Nash on her new single about trans rights
In Kate Nash's new single, released last week, the 37-year-old musician and actor has coined a new acronym, Germ: 'girl, exclusionary, regressive, misogynist'. In the lyrics, she states: 'You're not radical … You're not rad at all,' and that 'using feminism to erase the rights of others and endanger them is inherently un-feminist'. It arose from Nash seeing 'trans-exclusionary radical feminist' – the contentious term 'terf' – as something of a misnomer. Those who espouse gender-critical views are, in her opinion, neither radical nor feminist. The song was written in response to last month's supreme court ruling that the legal definition of 'woman' ought to be based on biological sex (a judgement that doctors at the British Medical Association have called 'scientifically illiterate'). 'I have a lot of trans people in my life that I care about,' Nash tells me on the day the track is released. 'This feminist-trans 'debate' – it's not a debate to me. A friend of mine was the victim of a hate crime last year. I took the ruling very personally.' She says the time felt right for her to speak out. 'The LGBTQIA+ community supports women so much, and they have been there for me in my life and career. That's why I think cis women really owe it to trans people to step up at this moment. This song is for that community.' Within hours of the song going live, Nash was trending on X. On the one hand, Nash was praised by LGBTQ+ advocates and allies for showing support for trans people at a time when their rights are being eroded. 'A lot of the queer community have been really grateful,' says Nash. 'I've received some beautiful messages about what it means, when there's so much uncertainty and fear and a loss of confidence for a lot of trans people. That's been really moving.' On the other hand, gender-critical voices online suggested that Nash was 'enabling abusers' by calling for trans women to be admitted into single-sex spaces. Nash finds the accusation 'absurd'. Critiquing different ideologies is important, she says, 'but there's a difference between critical thinking and what's happening in this debate. I'm really open to nuanced conversations. I was preparing myself for this really amazing argument that stitches me up, a big 'gotcha' moment'. But all the insults are calling me old, a bint, a slag, a has-been. I'm shocked at how juvenile and misogynistic the comments are.' 'Germ', Nash is aware, is another insult now added into the mix. 'I'm taking my artistic liberty there as a musician – I can be highbrow and I can be lowbrow. But I also do think it's important for feminists to voice that transphobia is not feminist, so I stand by it.' She is ready for the inevitable backlash. 'I've been trolled since I was 18. Bring it on. I'm OK with whatever insults people want to throw at me – I can handle it. It's not going to be as difficult as what a trans person is having to go through at this moment.' She hopes the song encourages others to speak up despite it being such a divisive subject. 'It felt like a scary thing to voice, because it's this hot topic, but as a musician you can make something that's quite fun and catchy and a little bit empowering.' Nash has long been an advocate for women's rights, calling herself a feminist in interviews since she started releasing witty, acerbic songs in the mid-2000s, before Taylor Swift and Beyoncé made the term a pop cultural concern. She is worried that the label has been hijacked by a gender-critical group who are 'very vocal and very organised', and that resources would be better spent finding solutions to more pressing problems faced by women, such as sexual violence and femicide, which occur overwhelmingly at the hands of men. 'Taking away the rights of vulnerable people who are not a threat is obviously the wrong thing to be doing,' she says. 'I'm not willing to trample on people that have less autonomy over their bodies and less safety in the world than me in order to protect myself. I do not think cis women are more important or better than trans people.' Nash also made headlines earlier in the year by announcing she was selling photos on OnlyFans to help subsidise her tour. This was done in part to make a serious point about the ways the music industry is failing artists, especially those from working-class backgrounds: 'Artists can't make money from touring and they can't make money from recorded music.' Nash explains that touring comes with a whole raft of costs, such as renting a tour bus, paying for a band and crew, food, petrol, hotels. Streaming was 'built unethically from the start', she says, with major labels and streaming services defining the terms and conditions – not artists – and not updating pre-streaming contracts to reflect the new reality. 'Who you listen to isn't where your money directly goes, and I don't think that's right. The way the music industry has been structured, historically, has been exploiting artists. And we've been exploited yet again.' Nash has personal experience of the shadier side of the business. Her former manager misappropriated large amounts of her money during the mid-2010s. (They reached an out-of-court settlement.) During a lengthy legal battle, Nash had to move back in with her parents. 'It was a really difficult thing for me to experience,' she says. 'But overall I think it's informed me, and I feel capable of speaking on issues like this now. I feel really empathetic to artists – it's made me aware of how toxic the environment is.' The decision to sell her pictures online drew criticism, with people accusing Nash of being a bad influence on young girls. 'I'm a fantastic influence for young girls,' she counters. 'I've fought my entire career for young women – representation is extremely important to me.' The photos were also a way of taking control of her sexuality. As an actor on Netflix series Glow, 'I've been naked on TV,' she says. 'I've simulated a threesome. I use my body all the time on stage to move, to sing, to connect with an audience. But if I'm completely in control of it, that's 'wrong'. Is it wrong? Our bodies are so politicised, and the world has an opinion about how to prevent us from being able to make choices about them.' Last weekend, Nash premiered Germ at the Mighty Hoopla festival along with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Later this month she will headline Glastonbury's Left Field stage on the Saturday night. She is excited to play the song in front of an audience: 'I think that will be quite a punk, exciting moment in the set.' Nash is undeterred by the internet noise the song has caused. 'I mean, sure, attack me online, but I'm still right,' she says. 'I wanted to leave a record in musical history of a feminist who is outspoken as a cis woman: this is my opinion, and I don't want the loudest cultural voice in the room to be anti-trans. That is not what feminism has taught me.'
Daily Mail
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
John Lithgow defends JK Rowling amid backlash from Harry Potter fans over trans debate after landing Dumbledore role
Harry Potter star John Lithgow is standing firmly by his decision to accept a role in the upcoming HBO series amid backlash from fans. It was announced earlier this year that the 79-year-old actor is set to play Professor Albus Dumbledore in the new drama, which is based on the books by J.K. Rowling and due for release in 2026. Following the news of his role, Lithgow has received an outpouring of messages urging him to reconsider being a part of the series because of Rowling's controversial views on transgender people. In a recent interview, however, Lithgow has addressed the furor and insisted that he isn't going to back away from the job. Before he signed the contract, Lithgow revealed that 'a very good friend who is the mother of a trans child' wrote to him 'an open letter to John Lithgow: Please walk away from Harry Potter.' 'That was the canary in the coalmine,' he added. 'I thought, "Why is this a factor at all?" I wonder how J.K. Rowling has absorbed it. I suppose at a certain point I'll meet her, and I'm curious to talk to her.' Speaking to The Times of London, Lithgow said he 'absolutely' didn't foresee getting so much hate from the author's many critics. But when asked by the publication if the backlash has made him reconsider joining the cast, he replied, 'Oh, heavens no.' Rowling has made headlines for her vocal 'TERF' views in recent years. Last week, the author sparked global upset after she celebrated the UK Supreme Court's landmark judgment that trans women are not legally women. Justices in London ruled last that in the 2010 Equality Act, the definition of the term 'women' relates only to biological women, and Rowling reportedly helped fund the campaign group which brought the case. Lithgow previously addressed his new role in an interview with Screen Rant. 'I just got the phone call up at the Sundance Film Festival, and it was not an easy decision because it's going to define me for the last chapter of my life. I'm afraid,' he told the publication. 'But I'm very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter. 'That's why it's been such a hard decision. I'll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I've said yes.' Dumbledore, the fictional headmaster of Hogwarts and a mentor to the title character, has become one of the most-beloved characters among fans of Rowling's original books and the film series. In the Harry Potter films, Dumbledore was first played by Richard Harris, before Michael Gambon took over the role. Lithgow — who has been nominated for back-to-back Best Supporting Actor Academy Awards for The World According to Garp and Terms of Endearment — recently received a fresh round of critical acclaim for his major role in the Oscar hopeful Conclave. Though Lithgow is an American, which would be a departure for the series after the original films featured an almost exclusively UK-based cast, Dumbledore wouldn't be his first British character. Lithgow nabbed his sixth and most recent Emmy Award for playing former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Netflix's hit drama The Crown. More recently, Lithgow has been portraying the writer Roald Dahl on stage in London in the play Giant, which explores the writer's infamous antisemitism.
Irish Examiner
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Suzanne Harrington: Trans women are not a threat — there is plenty of room for all
Outside the Houses of Parliament in London last weekend, an unplanned gathering happened. It was huge. Police weren't prepared, roads hadn't been closed off, yet people were pouring out of Westminster station in their hundreds, their thousands. Pink blue and white flags fluttered in the breeze, as trans people gathered, surrounded by their allies. There were a lot of allies — friends, families, loved ones, gay people, straight people, non-binary people — with not as much as a microphone between them. There'd been no time to organise. Just a shout-out on social media to turn up, to show support for the fact that two days earlier, a judge had decided that in the UK, trans people no longer legally exist. People who have been living peacefully as women were now legally men, and vice versa. Like the lady standing in front of me, whose passport, driving licence, health and credit records are all registered as female, because she's lived as a woman for decades. Except now she's legally a man. She might as well be legally a hatstand or a banana. Other women, who identify as TERFs, have been celebrating this judgment. They have been worried that women like the trans woman standing in front of me, in her floral dress with her legal paperwork, will bombard and overrun female spaces, posing a danger to all women. That trans women are dangerous and invasive to cis women, like Japanese knotweed in gardens. A genuine threat. This is genuinely baffling. Trans men and women are estimated to be between 0.44% and 0.55% of any given population. They are a micro minority. Yet these other women, the ones who identify as TERFs, are overjoyed to have caused the legal erasure of this tiny group, a minority statistically far more likely to be on the wrong end of discrimination and male violence than cis women. How is this a cause for celebration? TERF stands for Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist, but there is nothing radical or feminist about othering and excluding, about making another person a non-being. It's not feminism, says feminist philosopher Judith Butler — it's fascism: 'Once you decide that a single vulnerable minority can be sacrificed, you're operating within a fascist logic. That means there might be a second one you're willing to sacrifice, and a third, a fourth. Then what happens?' Perhaps women who identify as TERFs are getting trans women confused with the real threat to all women; the violent men who assault, rape and murder us all, day in, day out, year in, year out. Also – and here again is the utter illogicality of the UK's legal ruling — do TERFs want trans men in the Ladies, as we send trans women to the Gents? Who polices this? Who gatekeeps? Will they be scanning genitalia at the door? Because that's what this ruling decrees. Outside the Houses of Parliament, amid the fluttering flags and people hugging each other, a large square of turf is surrounded by crash barriers, so that everyone is squashed onto narrow pavements. In a moment of exquisite symbolism, a lone woman carrying a trans flag moves a barrier, opening the space for everyone. Everyone files peacefully onto the turf. Nothing bad happens. There is plenty of room for all.
