JK Rowling Continues Anti-Woke Tirade, Joins Forces With Elon Musk

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JK Rowling visits the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Japan

Credit: Universal Studios Japan

JK Rowling is back on the “anti-woke” beat again – and this time, she has backup in the form of Elon Musk.

For over two decades, JK Rowling was one of the most beloved children’s authors in the world. Since releasing “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in 1997, she went on to publish six more Harry Potter books that enchanted readers of all ages with the tales of Harry, Hermione, Ron, and company as they fight Lord Voldemort and try to protect the wizarding world from his Pure-blood mania.

Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) in 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'
Credit: Warner Bros.

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The books alone were successful enough, but they also went on to spawn an eight-movie franchise that grossed $7.7 billion, led to a (slightly less successful) spinoff series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, became the source material for multiple theme parks across the globe, and even inspired an HBO reboot.

Unsurprisingly, all of this made JK Rowling extremely wealthy – not to mention a legend in the eyes of her adoring fans. That’s why it came as such a shock to those who’d grown up absorbing the series’ values of good versus evil, standing up for oppressed groups, and embracing yourself for who you are when Rowling started sharing controversial views on gender and sex in 2018.

JK Rowling on the red carpet at Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Credit: Universal Studios

Related: JK Rowling Writes Massive Book About Young Transphobic YouTuber Getting Murdered

Over the years, Rowling has made multiple transphobic comments, as well as generally waging a war on gender-related “wokeness” on Twitter. Her comments have ranged from criticizing the phrase “people who menstruate” instead of “women,” dubbing Scottish politician Nicola Sturgeon a “destroyer of women’s rights” for expanding transgender protections and rephrasing the term “LGBT” as “LGB” to omit “transgender” from the community.

Now, her latest comments take issue with the terms “cis” and “cisgender” – referring to those whose gender identity matches their sex designated at birth. In a tweet shared on June 21, Rowling defended Elon Musk’s decision to consider the terms as “slurs” on Twitter – explaining that she thinks it is an “ideological language.”

“‘Cis’ is ideological language, signifying belief in the unfalsifiable concept of gender identity,” Rowling wrote. “You have a perfect right to believe in unprovable essences that may or may not match the sexed body, but the rest of us have a right to disagree and to refuse to adopt your jargon.”

Musk later chimed in in agreement. “Exactly,” he replied to Rowling’s tweet.

For long-time fans of Rowling, this is hardly the final straw for their patience with the once-beloved author. Rowling’s made repeated comments over the past few years that have made previously dedicated fans turn their backs, something Rowling has confirmed she knew would happen.

A family walks towards Hogwarts Castle in The Wizarding World at Universal
Credit: Universal

However, for those with fond memories of the Harry Potter franchise, it’s just another nail in the coffin of what was once the ultimate source of warm, cozy nostalgia. The Harry Potter series was all about fighting the power that oppressed a minority group – one that knew exactly what they were (Muggle-borns) even if a bigger power (Pure-Blood purists) tried to tell them otherwise. It’s all one big irony – and one that doesn’t seem likely to end any time soon.

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