J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling is the British author of the Harry Potter series. Since 2020, she has become an outspoken participant in the debate about sex and gender identity.
Read more about this on this site: J.K. Rowling.
What you can find
Her official website contains news, information about her books and a section featuring her own writing. It also includes the essay dated June 10, 2020, in which she explains why she speaks out about sex and gender. In it, she describes her concerns about the consequences of self-identification for women’s spaces and the growing number of young women undergoing transition, and she shares her own experiences of domestic violence.
Why she is on this list
Rowling is one of the best-known voices on the gender-critical side of the debate. Her statements are highly controversial: trans organizations and several actors from the Potter films have distanced themselves from them, while supporters stand by her. See society and critical perspectives.
The June 2020 essay
In the essay, Rowling gives five reasons for her involvement. The first is her charity, which supports projects for female prisoners and survivors of domestic and sexual violence; she fears that the legal definition of sex is being eroded. The second is her background as a teacher and founder of a children’s charity, and the third is freedom of speech. As the fourth, she cites the sharp increase in the number of girls referred for treatment and the work of researcher Lisa Littman on rapid-onset gender dysphoria. The fifth reason is women’s safety. Rowling also writes that she sees most transgender people as vulnerable and believes they deserve protection. In August 2026, she elaborated on her position regarding adults with gender dysphoria; see the article about Rowling’s clarification on gender dysphoria in adults.
Background and aftermath
According to the essay, the issue arose from earlier controversy. In December 2019, Rowling expressed her support on Twitter for Maya Forstater, a tax expert who lost her job after posting tweets about sex. She was subsequently criticized for following the feminist Magdalen Berns. The immediate reason for the essay was the Scottish government’s plans to simplify the legal recognition of sex. In addition to her books, the website lists her charitable work, including the Volant Trust, the children’s organization Lumos and Beira’s Place, a center for women who have experienced sexual violence. The J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund pays for legal assistance for women defending sex-based rights. She publishes crime novels under the name Robert Galbraith.
How to assess this source
The essay is a personal argument by a writer, not a scientific text. The figures it cites, concerning referrals and young people whose gender dysphoria resolves naturally, are disputed; check them against the original source. The piece is particularly relevant as a starting point for the British public debate about women’s spaces and safety.