JK Rowling refuses to back down in essay calling trans activism ‘elitist to its core’

J.K. Rowling has reaffirmed her views on sex and gender, saying in a new essay that she will not retreat from her advocacy despite receiving threats. She argues that policies admitting transgender women to some female-only spaces can weaken protections for women, and describes transgender activism as “elitist to its core”.

Rowling’s original essay in June 2020 drew criticism from LGBTQ+ groups and transgender rights activists, as well as calls to boycott her work. She says she supports transgender people’s rights to housing, employment, human rights and personal safety, while maintaining her focus on women’s safety and privacy. The article also notes recent protests at a London performance of *Harry Potter and the Cursed Child* and the UK Supreme Court’s 2025 ruling that “woman” and “sex” refer to biological sex under the Equality Act 2010.