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Arts figures defend J.K. Rowling in transgender rights row

Arts figures defend J.K. Rowling in transgender rights row

HUGO GREENHALGH PROMINENT figures in the British arts including novelist Ian McEwan and playwright Sir Tom Stoppard have signed a letter denouncing "hate speech" against "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling over her comments on transgender rights. Rowling weighed into a fierce debate on the issue earlier this year, raising concerns over trans women being allowed access to single-sex spaces - a stance that drew praise from some women's campaigners and condemnation from many trans activists. "J.K. Rowling has been subjected to an onslaught of abuse that highlights an insidious, authoritarian and misogynistic trend in social media," wrote the 58 signatories…
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J.K. Rowling says book character in transphobia row has real-life roots

J.K. Rowling says book character in transphobia row has real-life roots

J.K. Rowling said one of the characters in her new crime novel, a male killer who on one occasion disguises himself as a woman to abduct a victim, was loosely based on two real-life murderers. In a vitriolic online debate, pro- and anti-Rowling hashtags trended on Twitter after the novel's publication on Tuesday, because an early review in the Telegraph newspaper said the book's moral seemed to be "never trust a man in a dress". Critics of the "Harry Potter" author accused her of revealing prejudice through a transphobic trope, while supporters defended her right to write fiction without people…
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J.K. Rowling returns award over criticism of transgender stance

J.K. Rowling returns award over criticism of transgender stance

SONIA ELKS BRITISH author J.K. Rowling has said she will return a prestigious human rights award after the organisation that bestowed the prize criticised her posts on transgender rights. The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organisation gave the "Harry Potter" writer a Ripple of Hope award last year for her work to protect children's rights by highlighting abuse in the orphanage system. But this month Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert Kennedy and president of the U.S. organisation, criticised the author for "transphobic" online posts which she said served to undermine an already vulnerable group. "J.K. Rowling's attacks upon the transgender community are…
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