Fantastic Biases and Where to Find Them: A Closer Look at J.K. Rowling's Anti-Trans Views

The Inconvenient Truths J.K. Rowling Missed About Gender Identity

---

Dear Ms. Rowling,

I must express my deepest gratitude for illuminating the truth about gender identity. As you so wisely pointed out, it's nothing more than astrology for the woke crowd - a faith-based delusion indulged by those who put feelings over facts. Truly you, who has no formal education in anything gender or trans related, have scoured the internet and deduced the answer that has eluded scientists, doctors, and psychologists the world over for nearly a century! How could I have been so blind?

But wait, let's take a closer look at your enlightening insights, shall we?

You argue that gender identity is "neither scientifically observable nor testable," an "unfalsifiable idea" based on nothing more than "subjective feelings." By that impeccable logic, surely we must also dismiss sexual orientation as a mere fantasy? After all, it too is based on an individual's inner sense of self and attraction, not some objective external measure. Yet curiously, I don't see you campaigning against the "quasi-religious belief" of being gay or straight. Could it be that you're applying a glaring double standard here?¹

But I digress. You also posit that gender identity is "doing measurable, serious harm to some very vulnerable young people." I'm sure the extensive research showing this to be true is readily….wait, no, in my efforts I can only find the exact opposite - that it is in fact the rejection and denial of trans identities that cause grievous harm to youth mental health - is just more "intellectual sophistication" to be ignored. Never mind the dramatically elevated rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among trans youth denied support and affirmation.²³ Those are clearly just the prices we must pay to protect them from the scourge of...checks notes...being accepted for who they are. How silly of me!

And of course, we mustn't forget the real victims in all this: women. You decry the affirmation of trans identities as "an assault on the rights of women and girls" unparalleled in your lifetime. I'm sure the irony of a billionaire baroness claiming to be the target of an unprecedented attack on her rights is lost on no one. But more importantly, your claim rests on the absurd premise that trans rights and women's rights are somehow mutually exclusive, a zero-sum game. This is a deliberately manufactured division, not a reflection of reality. ² Recognizing trans women as the women they are does not deprive cis women of their womanhood. Ensuring trans women's access to women's spaces does not make those spaces any less safe. Expanding our understanding of gender beyond the binary does not erase anyone - it simply makes room for everyone.⁴

But why let facts get in the way of a good story? You certainly don't seem to when you blithely compare the vast body of research and expert consensus on gender identity to "treatises on astrology." I suppose the world's leading medical and psychiatric authorities are all just delusional astrologists, pushing "a form of faith-based fundamentalism masquerading as intellectual sophistication."⁵ How convenient to be able to dismiss an entire field of study and the lived experiences of millions with a single glib analogy. But then, it's so much easier to mock and demonize than to actually engage with the evidence, isn't it?

Because the truth, Ms. Rowling, is that no one is demanding you take the existence of trans identities on faith. There is ample scientific evidence pointing to a biological basis for gender identity. ¹³ There are decades of research and clinical practice affirming the reality and validity of trans lives. There is an overwhelming consensus among experts that supporting trans people in their identities is essential to their health and well-being. ²³ You are not being asked to blindly believe, but to listen to the facts.

But perhaps most tellingly, you characterize accepting trans people for who they are as "unquestioningly" embracing a "claim to feel those feelings." This, more than anything, reveals the depth of your ignorance and lack of empathy. Being transgender is not some whimsical claim or fleeting feeling - it is a fundamental truth about oneself. It is an identity, not an ideology. And it is an identity that has always existed, in every culture, throughout history - not some nefarious new trend corrupting our youth and destroying our social fabric, as you seem to imagine.

No one is asking you to "unquestioningly" accept anything, Ms. Rowling. We are simply asking you to question your own prejudices and preconceptions. To educate yourself about the realities of trans lives instead of clinging to hateful misconceptions. To extend to trans people the same basic respect and human decency you would accord anyone else. Is that really such an unreasonable ask?

Your words have weight, and with that comes responsibility. I implore you to wield your considerable influence more thoughtfully. Spreading fear, division and misinformation helps no one. Pitting women against trans people only weakens us all. At a time when trans rights are under very real assault across the globe, we need unity, not manufactured outrage.

So thank you, Ms. Rowling, for inspiring me to look more closely at the facts about gender identity. For motivating me to reaffirm what I already knew: that trans people deserve every bit as much compassion, respect and acceptance as the rest of us. That feminism which excludes trans women is no feminism at all. And that no amount of pseudo-intellectual posturing can justify rank bigotry.

I hope you will someday come to see trans people's experiences as valid, not delusional. Their identities as inherent, not adopted. Their rights as non-negotiable, not debatable. That we stand stronger together against the inequalities that ALL women experience, and stand safer against threats to ALL women’s safety and autonomy. Because trans rights are women’s rights, and our rights are human rights! But until then, forgive me for taking your views on gender identity with a hefty grain of salt.

With sincere gratitude for the perspective,

A proud trans ally

1. Roselli CE. Neurobiology of gender identity and sexual orientation. J Neuroendocrinol. 2018 Jul;30(7):e12562. doi: 10.1111/jne.12562. PMID: 29211317; PMCID: PMC6677266.
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6677266/

2. Griffin L, Clyde K, Byng R, Bewley S. Sex, gender and gender identity: a re-evaluation of the evidence. BJPsych Bull. 2021 Oct;45(5):291-299. doi: 10.1192/bjb.2020.73. PMID: 32690121; PMCID: PMC8596152.
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8596152/

3. Ristori J, Cocchetti C, Romani A, Mazzoli F, Vignozzi L, Maggi M, Fisher AD. Brain Sex Differences Related to Gender Identity Development: Genes or Hormones? Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Mar 19;21(6):2123. doi: 10.3390/ijms21062123. PMID: 32204531; PMCID: PMC7139786.
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7139786/

4. Monro S. Non-binary and genderqueer: An overview of the field. Int J Transgend. 2019 Jan 21;20(2-3):126-131. doi: 10.1080/15532739.2018.1538841. PMID: 32999600; PMCID: PMC6830997. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6830997/

5. Mueller SC, Guillamon A, Zubiaurre-Elorza L, Junque C, Gomez-Gil E, Uribe C, Khorashad BS, Khazai B, Talaei A, Habel U, Votinov M, Derntl B, Lanzenberger R, Seiger R, Kranz GS, Kreukels BPC, Kettenis PTC, Burke SM, Lambalk NB, Veltman DJ, Kennis M, Sánchez FJ, Vilain E, Fisher AD, Mascalchi M, Gavazzi G, Orsolini S, Ristori J, Dannlowski U, Grotegerd D, Konrad C, Schneider MA, T'Sjoen G, Luders E. The Neuroanatomy of Transgender Identity: Mega-Analytic Findings From the ENIGMA Transgender Persons Working Group. J Sex Med. 2021 Jun;18(6):1122-1129. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2021.03.079. Epub 2021 May 22. PMID: 34030966.
Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34030966/