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In 2020, supporters of J.K. Rowling published an open letter in the Sunday Times in response to criticism of the author.
Rowling’s book Troubled Blood included a male serial killer who dresses as a woman in order to lure his female victims, a common transphobic trope.
Signatories include many key figures in anti-transgender extremism.
Letter
JK Rowling has been subjected to an onslaught of abuse that highlights an insidious, authoritarian and misogynistic trend in social media.
Rowling has consistently shown herself to be an honourable and compassionate person, and the appalling hashtag #RIPJKRowling is just the latest example of hate speech directed against her and other women that Twitter and other platforms enable and implicitly endorse.
We are signing this letter in the hope that, if more people stand up against the targeting of women online, we might at least make it less acceptable to engage in it or profit from it.
We wish JK Rowling well and stand in solidarity with her.
Signatories
- Alexander Armstrong, actor
- Trezza Azzopardi, writer
- Frances Barber, actress
- Jonny Best, musician
- Julie Bindel, journalist
- Craig Brown, writer
- Grace Carley, producer
- Maureen Chadwick, writer
- Malcolm Clark, television producer-director
- Nick Cohen, journalist
- Amanda Craig, writer
- Andrew Davies, writer
- Jess de Wahls, textile artist
- Charlotte Delaney, writer
- James Dreyfus, actor
- Simon Edge, novelist
- Simon Fanshawe, writer
- Nehanda Ferguson, musician
- Aminatta Forna, writer
- Eileen Gallagher, writer & producer
- Magi Gibson, writer
- Kath Gotts, composer & lyricist
- Manick Govinda, arts consultant
- Jane Harris, writer
- Debbie Hayton, journalist
- Philip Hensher, writer
- Justin Hill, writer
- Susan Hill, writer
- Tatsuya Ishida, cartoonist
- Griff Rhys Jones, actor
- Russell Celyn Jones, writer
- Sam Leith, journalist
- Graham Linehan, writer
- Mo Lovatt, writer
- Lisa Marchiano, author
- Arthur Matthews, writer
- Ian McEwan, author
- Ann McManus, writer
- Ben Miller, actor
- Jimmy Mulville, producer
- Stella O’Malley, author
- Mez Packer, writer
- Nina Paley, animator
- Gillian Philip, author
- Rachel Rooney, author
- Lizzie Roper, actress
- Birdy Rose, artist
- Abigail Shrier, journalist
- Lionel Shriver, author
- Joan Smith, writer
- Amanda Smyth, writer
- Tom Stoppard, playwright
- Jane Thynne, writer
- Frances Welch, writer
- Francis Wheen, writer
- Victoria Whitworth, writer
- Shirley Wishart, musician
- Zuby, musician and author
References
O’Connor, Roisin (September 28, 2020). JK Rowling: Ian McEwan and Graham Linehan among literary figures to support author amid transphobia row. The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/jk-rowling-transgender-views-support-ian-mcewan-sunday-times-b666932.html
Diamond, Jonny (September 30, 2020) Our terrible year of open letters continues: JK Rowling edition. LitHub https://lithub.com/our-terrible-year-of-open-letters-continues-jk-rowling-edition/
Source letter
58 signatories (September 27, 2020). [Letter]: We stant with JK against hate. The Sunday Times https://www.thetimes.com/comment/article/letters-to-the-editor-banish-empire-and-make-us-all-proud-5tl06tt6h