What can I say about J.K. Rowling that hasn’t been said already? She’s the mind behind the Harry Potter book series — Britain’s best cultural export in modern history — and she’s a raging transphobe. 

I have nothing against the Harry Potter series, I mean how could you? It redefined the children’s literature game and up until about 2019, Rowling was a beloved author with the whole world in her corner. 

Rowling messed up big time in 2019 and somehow manages to continue to disappoint in new and spectacular ways. She’s transphobic, that’s the issue, and rather than self-educating and moving forward, she doubles down every year to stir up controversy and remain relevant. 

My main issue with Rowling is she’s rich, she made it, she lives a life of ease and luxury and has all the time in the world to self-educate herself and not go on as a social pariah. 

Rowling fell off hard, I mean throughout her career she was always an outspoken advocate for her personal beliefs which ranged from supporting the labor party in the United Kingdom, to supporting immigration rights and donating immense amounts of money to women’s organizations. 

Why did she choose the Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist, or TERF, hill to die on? I understand that people don’t like to be wrong, but it’s been roughly five years of everyone telling Rowling she’s wrong. 

I mean whenever I do something stupid and everyone in my life tells me I’m being stupid, that’s usually a sign that I am in fact doing something stupid. I couldn’t imagine having to deal with five years of being told I’m being stupid, so why is Rowling so committed? 

It’s safe to say that Rowling will die on the TERF hill, which begs the question of can we separate the art from the artist? I don’t have the answer to that question — I can’t speak on the harm that Rowling’s comments caused the transgender community. 

I mean imagine growing up with a beloved fantasy world that deals in inequality and has themes of acceptance of diversity, only to learn as an adult that the creator of that fantasy world is personally opposed to your identity. 

I wouldn’t know how that feels but I can guess it’d feel pretty disgusting to have such an integral childhood influence be tainted by the awfulness of the creator. 

Rowling is an ignorant person and thankfully, I was way too young to get a Harry Potter tattoo when that was a huge trend. 

Next week I will be trashing the legacy of John Lennon, a mediocre musician and an abuser of women. 

Adams can be reached at [email protected].