'She said nothing transphobic': Ex Mumford & Sons star Winston Marshall supports 'canceled' JK Rowling
LONDON, UK: Winston Marshall has expressed his support for JK Rowling, who was called out by many for her stance on transgenders. The former banjoist of Mumford & Sons himself was reportedly a target of the cancel culture after he commended Andy Ngo’s book ‘Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy’. However, Marshall has claimed that he understood Rowling’s pain even before he himself faced criticisms.
Speaking with Fox News Digital, the 34-year-old said, “I had sympathy beforehand. Because I think it’s outrageous what happened to her. The level of misogyny that she’s had to endure. It’s despicable. If it doesn’t make your blood boil, that says a lot about you, I think.”
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Marshall continued, “She said nothing transphobic. All she's done is stick up for women. It's appalling. The amount she's done for gays and lesbians in her history and philanthropic history is remarkable. The fact that she has to put up with this is outrageous. And it's disgusting that those other actors who she gave a career to speak about her like they do. It's embarrassing, frankly.”
The podcaster was referring to Rowling’s comments she made in 2020. She had tweeted, “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.”
“The idea that women like me, who’ve been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they’re vulnerable in the same way as women - ie, to male violence - ‘hate’ trans people because they think sex is real and has lived consequences - is a nonsense. I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so,” she had added.
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.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020
The idea that women like me, who’ve been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they’re vulnerable in the same way as women - ie, to male violence - ‘hate’ trans people because they think sex is real and has lived consequences - is a nonsense.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020
I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020
The ‘Harry Potter’ author’s words had invited a lot of negative publicity for her with Daniel Radcliffe reportedly saying, “Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I.”
“To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you,” the 33-year-old actor added at the time.
However, Marshall in the interview also insisted that being canceled is “very painful”. He shared, “It's a very difficult position for any of these artists to be into. It's a very painful experience, losing it all just for having wrong opinions, having perfectly legitimate opinions, you know? In fact, I would say compassionate opinions, these issues. She cares about women, for example. She cares about children, look what they're doing to children, putting the children on puberty blockers, irreversible surgery.”
“These children are going to be made sterile. Someone's got to stick up for them. Someone's got to stick up for girls getting bullied out of sports. Someone's got to stick up for the truth. And so these are really important issues,” Marshall concluded.