Published 15:03 IST, October 5th 2020
J. K. Rowling's tweets gets response from US and Irish Publishing Community; Read more
More than 1,500 members of the literary community have signed a letter in response to J. K. Rowling's transphobic tweets and views. Take a look.
J.K. Rowling's new book titled Troubled Blood under the name of Robert Galbraith stirred a lot of criticism after the release of an early review about the book. Recently, more than 1500 members of the UK and Irish Public Community signed a letter which was in response to the views that were present by J.K. Rowling in her book for the trans community. This letter was published by The Second Shelf on September 30.
The letter read, "A Message from Members of the UK and Irish Publishing Community" described itself as "a message of love and solidarity for the trans and non-binary community." The letter further read, "Culture is, and should always be, at the forefront of societal change, and as writers, editors, agents, journalists, and publishing professionals, we recognise the vital role our industry has in advancing and supporting the wellbeing and rights of trans and non-binary people. We stand with you, we hear you, we see you, we accept you, we love you. The world is better for having you in it." The community also extended their support to the rights of trans and non-binary people through the letter.
In this Second Shelf letter, J.K. Rowling's name was not mentioned however it can be supposedly viewed as a response to the people who came in support of J.K. Rowling after her book was published. The letter stands up to Rowling's recent transphobic tweets and statements. This letter is signed by 1521 members including writers, editors, and publishing professionals. The signatories include world-famous authors such as Jeanette Winterson, Malorie Blackman, and Joanne Harris.
J.K. Rowling receives support from fellow literati
J.K. Rowling's latest Cormoran Strike book called Troubled Blood received a lot of hate online after its release on September 15. Hashtags like #RIPJKRowling also started trending on the social media as trans-activists and supporters slammed the author for her earlier comment and the plotline of Cormoran Strike. The idea of the hashtag was to declare that the author is 'dead' on social media. However, 58 big literary names came up with a letter and signed in support of the Harry Potter author.
The letter states that the author is a victim of "an insidious, authoritarian and misogynistic trend in social media". It also said that the hashtag trending on number one is "just the latest example of hate speech directed against her". Famous names like Booker Prize winner author Ian McEwan, actor Griff Rhys Jones and Frances Barber and the famous playwrighter, Sir Tom Stoppard, were also among those 58 who signed the letter in Rowling's support.
Also Read| JK Rowling reveals Troubled Blood's controversial character inspired by real life killers
While the hashtag was trending, Piers Morgan also came to J.K. Rowling's aid via a tweet. He said that the hashtag trend speaks volumes about the 'woke brigade'. It only proves that they are much more 'vicious' than those they are battling against, he said. Check out the tweet here:
Updated 15:03 IST, October 5th 2020