Thank you for this. It's hard but it will take more people, particularly those in the public eye, to say what they know to be true. The damage already done to women and children is incalculable. Rowling has the courage of a lion. So do you.
Thank you for covering this. Sometimes it feels as if in order to be accepting and supportive of Trans rights, women have to disappear and I'm not comfortable with that at all. I am a Mom. A Woman. I've been assaulted, (and even if i hadnt been), I deserve and earned the right to safe spaces and to be called a woman and Mom. I have always supported LGBTQA2+ and always will but I also support myself, my daughter and women out there who don't want to be erased just to include. Can't we do both??? There has to be a middle ground here. I have supported Rowling from the beginning because she wasn't saying Trans folks shouldn't have rights or support but that women also need safe places and a place in society. This article was perfect. Thank you for covering this.
Bravo! I 100% agree with your article, and the perspectives of Rowling and even Midler, with whom I usually never agree. The trans movement has completely marginalized women and all those feminists out there who are now fully in support of it are total hypocrites! I am not a "birthing person," I am a mom who labored for dozens of hours to give birth to my amazing SON and DAUGHTER and would do it all over again in a NY minute. Trans women (biological men) cannot and will not ever be able to do that and anyone who says they can is not "following the science."
Gender identity zeal is a cult. It’s not science. Stonewall etc did a great job in ensuring equality between sexual preference, and (in the UK) the equality act did a great job of ensuring individuals cannot be marginalised based on their protected characteristics. The battle was won but Stonewall didn’t want to stop and reflect on a huge and worthy success; they wanted more funding, so the fight was extended to include trans rights - a tiny proportion of a proportion. Big pharma LOVES it - can you imagine. You turn a healthy 15 year old into a lifelong patient! All those hormones. All those surgeries. All those side effects. And for what - so someone “feels” like another gender. What does that even mean. The only unifying thing between any two given women are the biological realities. The brain is plastic and there are no discernible differences between the sexes.
But then it went further and further. Self ID is a danger to women and children. Puberty blockers harm children. Californian research: 80-90% of transitioners ultimately detransition. Affected children generally have a number of other mental health problems.
Affirmation is not care, it’s abuse. An anorexic isn’t affirmed, gastric surgery isn’t offered.
I recently got fired from my spa where I worked 9 years. I was the most booked, most requested and respected. A 27 year old gay male on his second day was having a conversation with me and he was saying how “he respected everyone’s religion,sex, and gender” and I agreed with him. I said how one of my longest and best friends is gay and we love each other, we eat together and hang out together but she knows that if she ever got married I wouldn’t go to the wedding because of what I believe biblically and morally. Which isn’t everyone’s belief and that’s fine and we both are good on it. But the man went to my bosses and told them that he felt unsafe and he cried in the bathroom... it worked out in the end but honestly I felt like I was reading a viral tweet about someone else when it happened. All these things make me not want to back down about what I believe morally. If we keep backing down everyone will keep towing the line. I have no hatred for anyone just different views that aren’t popular...
Thank you for introducing me to this podcast. I have never read a Harry Potter book, never seen an HP movie, never had any opinions about JK Rowling whatsoever, nor the ‘scandal’ that plagued her. I had heard she had made statements deemed ‘transphobic’ but just didn’t do any sort of deep, or even shallow, dive to find out about them.
However, I listened to this podcast and now have the utmost respect and admiration for this badass woman. There is such a shortage of people who go against the masses and are willing to speak up for what is right, despite the personal toll it might take on their own lives.
So much respect for her. I have since bought my first Harry Potter book.
This does go deeper. We as a society are accepting that body mutilation is not a problem. I’m sorry to say this but if people are willing to castrate themselves in order to be accepted or feel whole then there has to be underlying mental issues. It’s another form of body dysmorphia. This is no different to an eating disorder for someone with anorexia starving themselves because they don’t like the way they look. But as a society we don’t accept that. It’s a mental health issue. But what I really can’t handle is children being fed this rubbish. It’s absolutely mortifying. We don’t see in the press articles about people who regret their choice to transition, and there are many many out there. People need to be happy with the skin they are in, and whether you are male or female shouldn’t matter. What will it actually change?
I agree wholeheartedly With your article and the comments above . As women we need to be more aware of what damage is being done here to our spaces, sports , and language used to describe our lived experiences . Have you also noticed the same is not being asked of men ?
Further than that , we can not stand by and allow children to be medicalised before they have had a chance to experience the world and see how they fit in to their own space . I really do believe we are witnessing a social contagion , I have worked for children’s services for over 20 years and in that time had only ever come across one child who said they wanted to be a different gender. I had come across many with gender dysphoria , mainly girls, and they were in therapy receiving support to help them to accept themselves and their bodies . But in the last 3 years I have come across dozens of children wanting to change their genders . What is the shift among adolescents, where is it all coming from ? Surely those are the questioning we need to be asking and exploring further? Shutting down the conversations and silencing those who don’t go along with the narrative will be very damaging in the long run . It’s very authoritarian
As always, incredibly well thought out. When JK first made her statements, I could relate. As a woman, who has experienced both childhood sexual abuse and later again as an adult, I fully understood where she was coming from and was disheartened at the intensity of hate and misinterpretation that followed her. It sent the message that women had best be silent about their abuse and the life long effect of their traumas unless they were ready for the hate and animosity that came after. Two things can exist, one can support peoples right to be who they are and live as they are and also be fearful about bad people taking advantage of new rules intending to be inclusive of trans people. Being fearful of shitty people (of any gender/ identity) taking advantage of easier access to their victims does not mean I think trans people are bad.
I wholeheartedly concur. I’m an English teacher in the UK & three years ago I was set upon by my colleagues when I suggested Rowling’s name for one of our classes (we were re-naming them after famous writers). They actually snorted in derision and talked about her being ‘anti-trans’; only to then admit when I pressed them further that they hadn’t actually read her statement yet. Both younger members of the Dept; both women; both suggesting I wasn’t being enlightened & didn’t understand the trauma of trans people. And yet it was somehow OK to name a class ‘Pinter’ after the appallingly rude & misogynistic playwright (of whom I had personal experience, having met him). I’m still very angry about what I experienced as the dangerous and frankly ignorant willingness to condemn someone without even bothering to read her!!!!!!! And I was willing to resign rather than accept the principle that open debate is ‘phobic’ . From English teachers!!!! J k Rowling is my hero; and you’ve just joined her!!! 🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏
Apr 18, 2023·edited Apr 18, 2023Liked by Jessica Reed Kraus
I am not an expert, but it does seem that the trans movement is taking more from women than men. Maybe I am just unaware, but are men having trans men dominate in their sports? Has a trans man been named "man of the year" like a trans woman was? Are trans men trying to get in male prisons? Do men feel uncomfortable when trans men are in their locker rooms? No. Why? Women are the easy targets and the reality is that there are differences in the sexes. I think we as a society have to make room for these differences and give space to them when necessary. JK Rowling is simply stating the obvious: being a natural born woman IS different than being a natural born man; physically, bodily and emotionally. By ignoring these obvious differences, the reality is that women will be the ones to pay.
Thank you for sharing this. I listened to the podcast and thought how measured it was. I’m a lefty and so are most of my friendship group, my sister is a lesbian and I consider myself a gay ally. We can’t believe what my gay sisters are currently enduring and don’t even get me started on what is happening to the gay kids. It’s so important for us to all keep calmly talking common sense.
Recently there’s been a spate of retailers sending out messages that if you’d rather not receive Mother’s Day promotional emails, you can pause/opt out of just those. This feels weird/off to me, and NOT because of the many reasons Mother’s Day is conflicted and sensitive for many people. But it seems to me like another instance in which motherhood is acceptable to be eliminated. It’s not like you can pause/opt out of Black Friday advertising because thanksgiving is troublesome and offensive to many people, or Christmas advertising because either Christianity OR the commercialization of the religious holiday is offensive to some, etc. Again, I totally get why Mother’s Day is hard for a lot of people, but the fact that is the ONE holiday that can be paused/ignored is weird to me and feels “off”. Part of being ALIVE is that we all have a mother, even if that relationship is hard or broken or nonexistent or not one we personally celebrate. It’s still a reality.
The best part of the podcast was when JK Rowling asked the question - at what point do the feelings of trans women supersede the feelings of women?
Thank you for this. It's hard but it will take more people, particularly those in the public eye, to say what they know to be true. The damage already done to women and children is incalculable. Rowling has the courage of a lion. So do you.
Thank you for covering this. Sometimes it feels as if in order to be accepting and supportive of Trans rights, women have to disappear and I'm not comfortable with that at all. I am a Mom. A Woman. I've been assaulted, (and even if i hadnt been), I deserve and earned the right to safe spaces and to be called a woman and Mom. I have always supported LGBTQA2+ and always will but I also support myself, my daughter and women out there who don't want to be erased just to include. Can't we do both??? There has to be a middle ground here. I have supported Rowling from the beginning because she wasn't saying Trans folks shouldn't have rights or support but that women also need safe places and a place in society. This article was perfect. Thank you for covering this.
Bravo! I 100% agree with your article, and the perspectives of Rowling and even Midler, with whom I usually never agree. The trans movement has completely marginalized women and all those feminists out there who are now fully in support of it are total hypocrites! I am not a "birthing person," I am a mom who labored for dozens of hours to give birth to my amazing SON and DAUGHTER and would do it all over again in a NY minute. Trans women (biological men) cannot and will not ever be able to do that and anyone who says they can is not "following the science."
Gender identity zeal is a cult. It’s not science. Stonewall etc did a great job in ensuring equality between sexual preference, and (in the UK) the equality act did a great job of ensuring individuals cannot be marginalised based on their protected characteristics. The battle was won but Stonewall didn’t want to stop and reflect on a huge and worthy success; they wanted more funding, so the fight was extended to include trans rights - a tiny proportion of a proportion. Big pharma LOVES it - can you imagine. You turn a healthy 15 year old into a lifelong patient! All those hormones. All those surgeries. All those side effects. And for what - so someone “feels” like another gender. What does that even mean. The only unifying thing between any two given women are the biological realities. The brain is plastic and there are no discernible differences between the sexes.
But then it went further and further. Self ID is a danger to women and children. Puberty blockers harm children. Californian research: 80-90% of transitioners ultimately detransition. Affected children generally have a number of other mental health problems.
Affirmation is not care, it’s abuse. An anorexic isn’t affirmed, gastric surgery isn’t offered.
I recently got fired from my spa where I worked 9 years. I was the most booked, most requested and respected. A 27 year old gay male on his second day was having a conversation with me and he was saying how “he respected everyone’s religion,sex, and gender” and I agreed with him. I said how one of my longest and best friends is gay and we love each other, we eat together and hang out together but she knows that if she ever got married I wouldn’t go to the wedding because of what I believe biblically and morally. Which isn’t everyone’s belief and that’s fine and we both are good on it. But the man went to my bosses and told them that he felt unsafe and he cried in the bathroom... it worked out in the end but honestly I felt like I was reading a viral tweet about someone else when it happened. All these things make me not want to back down about what I believe morally. If we keep backing down everyone will keep towing the line. I have no hatred for anyone just different views that aren’t popular...
Thank you for introducing me to this podcast. I have never read a Harry Potter book, never seen an HP movie, never had any opinions about JK Rowling whatsoever, nor the ‘scandal’ that plagued her. I had heard she had made statements deemed ‘transphobic’ but just didn’t do any sort of deep, or even shallow, dive to find out about them.
However, I listened to this podcast and now have the utmost respect and admiration for this badass woman. There is such a shortage of people who go against the masses and are willing to speak up for what is right, despite the personal toll it might take on their own lives.
So much respect for her. I have since bought my first Harry Potter book.
This does go deeper. We as a society are accepting that body mutilation is not a problem. I’m sorry to say this but if people are willing to castrate themselves in order to be accepted or feel whole then there has to be underlying mental issues. It’s another form of body dysmorphia. This is no different to an eating disorder for someone with anorexia starving themselves because they don’t like the way they look. But as a society we don’t accept that. It’s a mental health issue. But what I really can’t handle is children being fed this rubbish. It’s absolutely mortifying. We don’t see in the press articles about people who regret their choice to transition, and there are many many out there. People need to be happy with the skin they are in, and whether you are male or female shouldn’t matter. What will it actually change?
A perfect example of 2 things being true at once - It’s hard being born a woman AND it’s hard (in a different way) to be a trans woman
Perhaps we might see this as a male-led attack on a successful and prominent female.
I agree wholeheartedly With your article and the comments above . As women we need to be more aware of what damage is being done here to our spaces, sports , and language used to describe our lived experiences . Have you also noticed the same is not being asked of men ?
Further than that , we can not stand by and allow children to be medicalised before they have had a chance to experience the world and see how they fit in to their own space . I really do believe we are witnessing a social contagion , I have worked for children’s services for over 20 years and in that time had only ever come across one child who said they wanted to be a different gender. I had come across many with gender dysphoria , mainly girls, and they were in therapy receiving support to help them to accept themselves and their bodies . But in the last 3 years I have come across dozens of children wanting to change their genders . What is the shift among adolescents, where is it all coming from ? Surely those are the questioning we need to be asking and exploring further? Shutting down the conversations and silencing those who don’t go along with the narrative will be very damaging in the long run . It’s very authoritarian
As always, incredibly well thought out. When JK first made her statements, I could relate. As a woman, who has experienced both childhood sexual abuse and later again as an adult, I fully understood where she was coming from and was disheartened at the intensity of hate and misinterpretation that followed her. It sent the message that women had best be silent about their abuse and the life long effect of their traumas unless they were ready for the hate and animosity that came after. Two things can exist, one can support peoples right to be who they are and live as they are and also be fearful about bad people taking advantage of new rules intending to be inclusive of trans people. Being fearful of shitty people (of any gender/ identity) taking advantage of easier access to their victims does not mean I think trans people are bad.
I wholeheartedly concur. I’m an English teacher in the UK & three years ago I was set upon by my colleagues when I suggested Rowling’s name for one of our classes (we were re-naming them after famous writers). They actually snorted in derision and talked about her being ‘anti-trans’; only to then admit when I pressed them further that they hadn’t actually read her statement yet. Both younger members of the Dept; both women; both suggesting I wasn’t being enlightened & didn’t understand the trauma of trans people. And yet it was somehow OK to name a class ‘Pinter’ after the appallingly rude & misogynistic playwright (of whom I had personal experience, having met him). I’m still very angry about what I experienced as the dangerous and frankly ignorant willingness to condemn someone without even bothering to read her!!!!!!! And I was willing to resign rather than accept the principle that open debate is ‘phobic’ . From English teachers!!!! J k Rowling is my hero; and you’ve just joined her!!! 🙏❤️🙏❤️🙏
I am not an expert, but it does seem that the trans movement is taking more from women than men. Maybe I am just unaware, but are men having trans men dominate in their sports? Has a trans man been named "man of the year" like a trans woman was? Are trans men trying to get in male prisons? Do men feel uncomfortable when trans men are in their locker rooms? No. Why? Women are the easy targets and the reality is that there are differences in the sexes. I think we as a society have to make room for these differences and give space to them when necessary. JK Rowling is simply stating the obvious: being a natural born woman IS different than being a natural born man; physically, bodily and emotionally. By ignoring these obvious differences, the reality is that women will be the ones to pay.
Thank you for sharing this. I listened to the podcast and thought how measured it was. I’m a lefty and so are most of my friendship group, my sister is a lesbian and I consider myself a gay ally. We can’t believe what my gay sisters are currently enduring and don’t even get me started on what is happening to the gay kids. It’s so important for us to all keep calmly talking common sense.
Recently there’s been a spate of retailers sending out messages that if you’d rather not receive Mother’s Day promotional emails, you can pause/opt out of just those. This feels weird/off to me, and NOT because of the many reasons Mother’s Day is conflicted and sensitive for many people. But it seems to me like another instance in which motherhood is acceptable to be eliminated. It’s not like you can pause/opt out of Black Friday advertising because thanksgiving is troublesome and offensive to many people, or Christmas advertising because either Christianity OR the commercialization of the religious holiday is offensive to some, etc. Again, I totally get why Mother’s Day is hard for a lot of people, but the fact that is the ONE holiday that can be paused/ignored is weird to me and feels “off”. Part of being ALIVE is that we all have a mother, even if that relationship is hard or broken or nonexistent or not one we personally celebrate. It’s still a reality.