Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh says JK Rowling has been ‘demonised’ as ‘some kind of witch’ in bitter transgender debate
- Irvine Welsh believes Ms Rowling’s feminist stance has been misrepresented
Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh has said that J.K. Rowling has been ‘demonised’ as ‘some kind of witch’ because of her views on transgender issues.
The 64-year-old Scot, who hit the big time when his novel was turned into a film by Danny Boyle in 1996, said the Harry Potter author was simply ‘trying to protect women’s spaces’.
Speaking to The Times, the author even said he had consulted a bunch of ‘trans advisors’ when writing The Long Knives, published last year.
JK Rowling has been branded transphobic over her many assertions surrounding the LGBT+ community, including that transgender men and women should not be able to access single-sex spaces which match their gender.
Quizzed about JK Rowling’s views, Mr Welsh said he admired her integrity and believes that her feminist stance has been misrepresented as wanting to ‘destroy trans people’.
Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh has said that J.K. Rowling has been ‘demonised’ as ‘some kind of witch’ because of her views on transgender issues.
The 64-year-old Scot said the Harry Potter author was simply ‘trying to protect women’s spaces’
He said: ‘She’s been demonised as some kind of witch who wants to destroy trans people but she just wants women’s spaces to be protected.
‘There must be some way that we can advance trans rights without attacking women’s rights.’
He said the toxic nature of the debate had been taken over by online extremists, adding: ‘There’s such a massive difference between the majority of trans people and how they represent on social media.
‘It’s the same with feminists, anarchists, socialists, even fascists – every group has a much more extreme, narcissistic element on social media.’
Asked about the trans debate, the author said he had ‘consulted trans advisors’ for his new book as well as the TV show, adding: ‘You have to listen to people who know more than yourself.
‘There’s too many straight white men giving their views on everything. I’m here to get educated.’
JK Rowling recently mocked trans rights activists who said they are planning to not watch the new TV adaptation of the series as she says she has ‘a large stock of champagne’ to celebrate.
The author, who is reportedly worth £850m, took to Twitter saying she had ‘dreadful news’ she needed to share with fans, before making the mocking comments towards people who support equal rights for transgender people.
JK Rowling recently mocked trans rights activists who said they are planning to not watch the new TV adaptation of the series as she says she has ‘a large stock of champagne’ to celebrate
Some supporters of trans rights are now calling for a boycott of the new TV show, which is set to run for a decade and see Rowling take a leader role as a producer.
She wrote on Friday: ‘Dreadful news, which I feel duty bound to share. Activists in my mentions are trying to organise yet another boycott of my work, this time of the Harry Potter TV show.
‘As forewarned is forearmed, I’ve taken the precaution of laying in a large stock of champagne.’
Her comments are in reference to some on Twitter who are calling for those who support transgender rights to not watch the show in solidarity with the LGBT+ community.
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