George Takei says those who defend biological sex are 'scientifically ignorant' amid JK Rowling transgender row
Actor and left-wing political activist George Takei took to Twitter on Wednesday, June 11 to comment on transphobia. Takei's tweet read, "When you defend so-called ‘biological sex,’ you sound scientifically ignorant and you elevate transphobia." It seems like Takei's tweet is a veiled response to 'Harry Potter' author JK Rowling's recent seemingly transphobic comments.
Rowling had written, "If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth." Rowling had recently made headlines over a series of transphobic tweets. She had posted a response to a headline where she referred to "people who menstruate." She said, "I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?"
She believes that trans people should not be allowed to legally change their sex to reflect the gender they identify with as this could allow individuals to exploit and manipulate the law. Her comments received a lot of backlash and sparked outrage across social media.
Takei had also retweeted some posts from LGBTQ litigation organization Lamba Legal and a tweet by actress Felicia Day, both of which called out Rowling for her comments. Lamba Legal addressed their tweet to 'JKR' and wrote, "Trans women are women. Trans men are men. The existence of transgender people does not compromise your safety. Trans people deserve love and support; not lengthy diatribes detailing 'concerns' about their existence. And that’s that!" the tweet read. Day also lashed out at Rowling and commented, "I honestly don't even understand the logic of JK Rowling's argument. All I know is that it feels steeped in fear and hate and it makes me so so sad."
Very recently, Rowling had opened up on her first marriage where she experienced domestic abuse. She had been married to Jorge Arantes whom she says slapped her. We had previously reported that Arantes had broken his silence on the matter and said he was not "sorry for slapping her." "I slapped Joanne — but there was not sustained abuse. I’m not sorry for slapping her. If she says that, that's up to her. It's not true I hit her," he said, reports The Sun. However, he was then asked again about his own admission a decade ago when he admitted that he had hit her on the same night that she had left him. "Yes. It is true I slapped her. But I didn’t abuse her," Arantes said.
While talking about the criticism against her tweets, Rowling opened up in a lengthy and emotional post online. She wrote, "I've been in the public eye now for over 20 years and have never talked publicly about being a domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor. This isn't because I'm ashamed those things happened to me, but because they're traumatic to revisit and remember. I'm mentioning these things now not in an attempt to garner sympathy, but out of solidarity with the huge numbers of women who have histories like mine, who've been slurred as bigots for having concerns around single-sex spaces," she added.