Sex and the City star and former New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon has publicly slammed Harry Potter author JK Rowling over Rowling’s ongoing attacks on transgender people.
Nixon, who identifies as a lesbian herself, spoke about the effect the author’s transphobic attacks had on Nixon’s 23-year-old transgender son, Samuel.
“It was really painful for him because so much of his childhood was tied up with Harry Potter,” Nixon told The Independent. “We’re a Harry Potter family. The books seem to be about championing people who are different, so for her to select this one group of people who are obviously different and sort of deny their existence, it’s just… it’s really baffling. I know she feels like she’s standing up for feminism, but I don’t get it.”
Related: Cynthia Nixon headed to Broadway…with Ellen?
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Still, for Nixon, Rowling’s remarks aren’t enough to sully the entire legacy of the Potter series. She remains a fan of the books, and is even part-way through a Harry Potter movie marathon with her other son, Max. The actress paraphrases Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe’s rebuke of Rowling when it comes to finding LGBTQ themes in the book series.
“The thing that he tried to impart to people was that if you as a queer person or as a non-queer person have found a home in these stories, please don’t let this take that away from you,” Nixon noted. “These are still your stories.”
JK Rowling has endured wide criticism this year, initially sparked by her support on Twitter for Maya Forstater, a woman who lost her job after making offensive comments about transgender people. When social media backlash ensued, Rowling doubled down on her stance, eventually publishing an essay defending her remarks and criticizing transgender women for labeling themselves female even though they don’t menstruate. She subsequently also tweeted comments insinuating that transpeople should be prescribed antidepressants instead of hormones. Most recently, Rowling announced that her new mystery novel Troubled Blood features a cross-dressing killer, a storyline that reinforces the trope of equating transgender people with violent psychopaths.
Cynthia Nixon will next appear in the Netflix series Ratched.
sfhairy
And no one cares Cynthia, no one.
inbama
Remember when Nixon said she was bisexual but was “identifying” as lesbian to keep peace in her marriage? Then bisexual activists started screaming “erasure,” and she retracted the “identification.”
LumpyPillows
Another vague attack on J.K. not actually repeating what J.K. has said that is transphobic.
Cam
Except for the fact that it literally links to her comments. But keep trying.
Liquid Silver
Rowling’s commentary is actually very nuanced…but we don’t do nuanced around here, do we?
Or at least the editors and article writers don’t seem to.
inbama
So much easier to take the word of rageaholics on Twitter.
Paxbrother
Is it really nuanced though? More like super basic.
Cam
Except you don’t seem to be able to point out what that nuance is.
Liquid Silver
inbama–yep, it always will be and always is. You can tell by the reactions here which can’t seem to go do some reading and determine this for themselves.
She draws a lot of fine lines that I don’t personally agree with, but she’s quite thoughtful about it. However, nowadays there’s absolutely no respect for anybody else’s opinions and it’s “my way or the highway.”
People then wonder why others choose the highway and tell them to get lost. 🙂
iminheatlikeacat
Once again: A request to you to post Rowlings “transphobic” tweets in full so your audience can judge for themselves whether or not what she said was transphobic instead of taking your word for it or the words of a braying Twitter mob.
Paxbrother
Google is your friend
Black Pegasus
I hope Rowling never bends the knee to the mob and the bullies who hide behind anonymous Twitter accounts. I’ve read her past remarks and I didn’t see anything that was blatantly offensive towards trans people.
Cam
How frightening for the billionaire white woman. That a transperson might get to call themselves what they want. I can see how that would ruin her life.
JCDK1984
Have you actually read anything she has written about the trans issue? Why she is fighting for girls and women?
JCDK1984
Rowling isn’t attacking trans people. She is protecting real biological women. She has never written anything bad about trans men or trans women for that matter. She is just saying that real women don’t have a penis, which is the truth.
sfhairy
Preach!
cliche guevara
You agreeing with her attack on trans peoples doesn’t make any less of any attack it just make you a terrible person too.