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As much as she is loved for the magnificence she brought about through theHarry Pottersaga, J.K. Rowling has also become the epitome of controversy for her unsolicited opinions, especially on all those gender debates out there. That said, she has recently earned herself a spot in the limelight for the same reasons with her ignition of a feud with John Oliver.
For years now, she has earned enough backlash over her comments on the trans community, and it doesn’t seem like the author wants to stop anytime soon. While previously, it was with actors Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson that she started a beef thanks to her statements, now Oliver is facing her wrath as the writer recently went unhinged about her opinions on trans athletes in women’s sports.
J.K. Rowling Picks Beef With John Oliver Over Trans Athletes
Rowling doesn’t hold back on slamming anyone she disagrees with, and the latest one to exclusively come under her is none other thanJohn Oliver. Sharing her opinions on him supporting trans athletes in women’s sports, she publicly deemed him an “undoubtedly intelligent person” who “spouts absolute bs to support something he wants to be true, but isn’t.”
This comes after the British comedian, 47, said during a recent segment on his HBO talk showLast Week Tonight with John Oliver(viaFox News): “There are vanishingly few trans girls competing in high schools anywhere. Even if there were more, trans kids — like all kids — vary in athletic ability and there is no evidence they pose any threat to safety or fairness.”
These comments, inevitably, didn’t sit well with the writer, who has since replied to him in a long post onX, writing: “Nothing about this feels good, because Oliver generously gave his time for my charity Lumos and I liked him very much when I met him, but God knows, if you ever need an example of motivated reasoning and confirmation bias, this video’s for you.”
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She then cited the UN that reported female athletes to have lost nearly 900 medals to ‘trans-identified men’ competing against them in women’s sporting categories, adding how women have also suffered serious injuries playing against these very opponents. Lashing out against Oliver,J.K. Rowlingthen wrote:
Again and again I’ve come up against men who argue exactly what Oliver does here, using the very same talking points. With a straight face, the ‘believe the science’ guys will say ‘actually, we don’t yet have enough data to say whether men and boys are stronger and faster than women and girls’. The ‘be kind’ crew can’t see what the issue is. ‘Why are you bothered, it only affects a tiny minority of females?’
This didn’t stop there as Rowling went on to call Oliver among those people who seek to “indemnify themselves against repercussions from cultural elites in the media, academia, and publishing who’ve shown themselves more than ready to kick people to the curb for failing to mouth the approved mantras – people with a lot to lose are currently prepared to make idiots of themselves.”
For the record, these words come from theHarry Potterauthor who has notably already picked a feud with bothDaniel RadcliffeandEmma Watsonpreviouslyover the issue of transgender identity and rights.
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But theHarry Potterauthor seems to have saved the most heated comment on Oliver’s stance on trans athletes for the last, as she concluded her rant with the statement:
If you want to tell the world you’re happy to watch females suffer injury, humiliation and the loss of sporting opportunities to bolster an elitist post-modern ideology embraced by a minute fraction of the world’s population, fair enough; you’re allowed your opinion. But if you’ve just told girls they don’t deserve fair sport, maybe rethink using all too real and common sexual predation against young women as a punchline for your ‘edgy’ closing joke.
All of this being said, as outraged as J.K. Rowling’s rant for blasting John Oliver was, it doesn’t seem to have been all that wrong either. For one, fans are already jumping in the author’s defense as they point out how fairness in sports isn’t about ideology, but rather, about safety and equal opportunity.
Fans Are Supporting J.K. Rowling Slamming John Oliver
Although she has previously been the epitome of tremendous backlash over the stance she holds on the transgender community – which has many deemingher to be transphobic– this time around, Rowling is earning major support from fans and netizens worldwide as she defends women athletes against transgender athletes competing in women’s category.
If anything, fans couldn’t agree more with the author in her slamming Oliver over his extending his support to the transgender community, as they extendtheirsupport for the writer onXas:
She’s is correct… also John Oliver is still a thing? Who the hell watches that guy
Yes, and?She’s right.
WHERE IS THE LIE?
As if we didn’t have enough Harry Potter merch in our home, I’m going to buy some more.
She’s right.pic.twitter.com/pLCKkoxDDW
Absolutely agree with@jk_rowling! Fairness in sports isn’t about ideology, it’s about safety and equal opportunity. Women’s sports should be for biological women.
J.K. Rowling is right.
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With all of this being put out there, it’s unarguable that the feud between Rowling and Oliver has ignited a heated debate on the issue of trans athletes in women’s sports.
As the fire rages on, it remains to be seen how the issue will be resolved, but one thing is clear: the conversation is far from over. With fans and netizens weighing in on the issue, it’s unarguably likely that the discussion will continue to be a contentious one, with no easy answers in sight.
Mahin Sultan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2478
Mahin Sultan is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, where she brings a fresh perspective to entertainment news. Having been in the field for over 3 years now, she has already written more than 2,000 articles across a variety of niches, from entertainment to health and fashion. This diverse experience has allowed her to quickly build a solid foundation and a deep understanding of the industry.
