Twitter outrage as Harry Potter author JK Rowling likes tweet calling transgender women 'men in dresses'

The fantasy writer has faced scrutiny from the LGBT community
Getty Images
Martin Coulter22 March 2018
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

JK Rowling has been slammed by Twitter followers after she apparently 'liked' a tweet describing transgender women as "men in dresses".

The Harry Potter author liked the tweet amid a row about the status of transgender women in the Labour Party.

The tweet, written by @racybearhold, who has since deleted their account, read: "I was shouted at by men at my first Labour Party meeting aged 18 because I asked them to remove a Page 3 calendar.

"I've been told to toughen up, be louder, stronger, independent. I've often not felt supported.

"Men in dresses get brocialsit solidarity I never had. That's misogyny!"

A spokesman for Ms Rowling defended the author's actions, saying she had simply suffered a "middle-aged moment" when liking the tweet.

They told PinkNews: "I'm afraid JK Rowling had a clumsy and middle-aged moment and this is not the first time she has favourited by holding her phone incorrectly."

'Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them' World Premiere in New York

1/16

Trans journalist Shon Faye led criticism of the internationally best selling writer, saying: "Trans culture is seeing the beloved author of your generation like a transphobic tweet from a troll account which has repeatedly called you a man."

Ms Rowling recently came under fire from LGBT fans after backing plans to remove any reference to fictional wizard Albus Dumbledore's homosexuality from the upcoming Fantastic Beasts film.

The Standard approached Ms Rowling for further comment.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in