J. K. Rowling declares views on transgender issues 'haven't changed'

J. K. Rowling has declared her controversial views on transgender people "haven't changed" in six years despite her receiving an "avalanche" of death threats.

In June 2020, the Harry Potter author published an essay on her personal website in which she expressed her concerns over "new trans activism", with critics accusing her of being transphobic.

On Wednesday, Rowling posted an "update" to her previous essay in which she defended her decision to "speak up on the issue of trans activism and the risk I believe it poses to women's rights".

"What to me represents no change at all in my political or ideological outlook has, in recent years, seen me and women like me subject not only to criticism but also to death threats," she began. "This is because we oppose the current, dominant strain of trans activism, which holds that a man who declares himself a woman is, literally, a woman, and is therefore entitled to be treated as a woman in all contexts."

The British writer went on to argue that trans activism doesn't impact all women and that the "more privileged" someone is, "the less it tends to affect you".

"Aside from an avalanche of death, rape and torture threats, it hasn't noticeably affected my life. Nor does it hurt wealthy women who repost the vogueish mantras while sitting in dressing rooms guarded by private security guards," the 61-year-old continued. "It doesn't hurt women in the upper echelons of media, publishing and academia, who don't need a changing room at work and who feel a snobbish disdain for working class women who don't want to strip off in front of heterosexual males who've 'identified' into the women's changing room."

Elsewhere in the piece, Rowling emphasised that she didn't believe trans people should be "stripped of their human rights or denied personal safety".

"I'll continue to speak out, continue to use my money to help women who otherwise couldn't afford to go to court, and continue to ensure that women in my area can still access female-delivered, female-centred support after rape," she concluded. "If a man can be a woman, there is no such thing as a woman. That might not matter to you personally, but it matters to millions of women who don't have the luxury of pretending that their sex doesn't matter. I remain on their side."

Despite the divisive comments, Rowling's Harry Potter franchise continues to be popular, with an HBO series starring a new cast set to premiere on 25 December.

Previously, the stars of the original Harry Potter films, including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, have publicly denounced the philanthropist's views.