[imagesource: REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo]

We’re going to be tackling some tough concepts here, so let’s start with a couple of definitions so that you’re up to speed with the lingo before we dive in.

TERF is an acronym for ‘trans-exclusionary radical feminist’. The term was originally applied to a minority of feminists espousing sentiments that other feminists consider transphobic, such as the rejection of the fact that transwomen are women, the exclusion of transwomen from women’s spaces, and opposition to transgender rights legislation.

A person who is transgendered has a gender identity or expression that differs from the sex that they were assigned at birth.

‘Sex’ refers to biological sex (the anatomy of an individual’s reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics like breasts or facial hair), while gender refers to social roles. Gender is often described as a “performance” because it is a construct and is reinforced by the attributes that society assigns either sex. Gender non-binary, fluid, or non-conforming people don’t identify with either gender (male or female).

Cool, let’s move on to J.K. Rowling, who just two years after she liked a tweet which referred to transgender people as ‘men in dresses’ has once again ignited fury on Twitter.

Per Forbes.

J.K. Rowling has had another“middle-aged moment.” Several, actually.

Fans have long suspected the fantasy author of being a “trans-exclusionary radical feminist,” and Rowling has proved said suspicions correct, her Twitter page suddenly exploding with “TERF” talking points.

Rowling tweeted the following on June 6:

‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?

Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate https://t.co/cVpZxG7gaA

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020

Instead of putting down the spade and rethinking her stance, she dug the hole deeper:

Image: J.K. Rowling/ Twitter

Okay, where to start?

First, nobody has said that ‘sex’ isn’t real, which makes me think that she’s confusing sex and gender, or doesn’t understand how they differ or work. So no points there.

The lived reality of biological women who identify with their gender is not being erased. All that’s being asked for here is the inclusion of those who menstruate but aren’t women, like transmen and some non-binary people.

Sure, we could find a better term than ‘menstruator’, but the expansion of the reproductive vocab to include people whose gender differs from the sex they were assigned at birth is a work in progress.

Apart from everything that she’s said and done, perhaps most disturbing is that Rowling’s Twitter rants could have far-reaching consequences for young people.

The most bizarre aspect to this story, is the fact that Rowling has recently been celebrating the success of her new book, The Ickabog, by posting pictures of children’s fan art on her Twitter page.

Meaning that young, impressionable children scrolling Rowling’s page looking for fan art are likely to come across her transphobic tweets. Using her massive, child-friendly platform to question the rights of the marginalized is incredibly irresponsible, inappropriate at best.

Judging by these and past tweets that focus solely on transwomen, Rowling doesn’t seem to know that transmen and non-binary people exist. When she finds out, her head is going to explode.

Rowling, you need to stop.

If you’re keen to find out a bit more about TERFs, the trans community, and the difference between sex and gender, I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Natalie Wynn, AKA, ContraPoints:

[source:forbes]