Rowling backs singer in trans athletes row
It’s time to buy Macy Gray’s songs, says author
JK Rowling has defended singer Macy Gray for saying trans athletes shouldn’t be allowed to compete against women.
Activists had told the musician she had ‘killed her career’ after making the comments.
But showing support for Miss Gray, the Harry Potter author said it was a ‘good day’ to buy the American soul singer’s ‘entire back catalogue’.
Miss Gray, 54, told Monday night’s Piers Morgan Uncensored show that ‘ just because you change your parts doesn’t make you a woman’, before admitting people ‘will hate me for saying it’. She added: ‘If you want me to call you a her, I will. But that doesn’t make you a woman just because I call you a her and you got a surgery.’ Asked what a woman was, she replied: ‘I would say a human being with boobs... and a vagina. I don’t think you should be called transphobic just because you don’t agree… there is a lot of judgment and throwing stones at people for just saying what it is.’
Among those criticising the musician was radio presenter Alison Curtis, who tweeted: ‘Trans lives are not up for debate byeeeee #MacyGray.’ And Ernest Ownes, an American journalist who wrote The Case for Cancel Culture, told his fans to ‘un-support’ her.
India Willoughby, Britain’s first transgender newsreader, said Miss Gray will be ‘cancelled’ and should ‘say goodbye to future bookings’, adding: ‘How to kill what’s left of your career.’
But the I Try singer appeared unmoved, simply replying ‘truth hurts’. And Miss Rowling, 56, came to her support, saying: ‘Today feels like a good day to ensure I’ve bought Macy Gray’s entire back catalogue.’
The author was accused of transphobia after she tweeted about ‘people who menstruate’ rather than ‘ women’ in 2020. She later shared her thoughts on gender-neutral spaces, saying she felt strongly about protecting women’s rights as she was a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault.
It comes as American actress Bette Midler was accused of ‘demonising trans people’ after claiming the word ‘ women’ is being ‘erased’ by terms such as ‘birthing people’.
The 76-year-old prompted an online storm and was urged to not ‘fall for the anti-trans panic fake nonsense’.
But Tennis star Martina Navratilova, who has previously been criticised for questioning if trans women should compete in female sport, was among the actress’s supporters. ‘Careful Bette – you will be called transphobic too or worse...’ she wrote.
Mrs Midler’s tweet appeared to be in response to a New York Times piece by columnist Pamela Paul criticising the use of gender-neutral terms.