Actress Bette Midler and singer Macy Gray have both landed themselves in trouble with transgender activists for arguing that men can’t become women through surgery, and that transgender-friendly language strips women of their rights. Amid the outcry, ‘Harry Potter’ author JK Rowling came to Gray’s defense.
In an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan on Monday, Gray agreed that transgender women – who are biologically male – shouldn’t compete in women’s sports.
“Everyone’s gonna hate me but as a woman, just because you go change your parts, doesn’t make you a woman, sorry,” Gray stated. “If you want me to call you a ‘her’, I will, because that’s what you want but that doesn’t make you a woman… just because you got a surgery,” she continued.
Meanwhile, Bette Midler, usually an outspoken liberal, declared on Twitter that women are “being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even our name.” Midler argued that so-called inclusive terms like “birthing people” and “menstruators” – which have been adopted by some healthcare providers and top medical journals – threaten to “erase” women.
Both women were hounded for their statements. Gray was called “bigoted, transphobic, dated and thoroughly uneducated,” while Midler was accused of “white supremacy” and “oppressing” transgender people. The actress was told that she is “becoming part of the problem,” and urged to “do better.”
Amid thousands of similar comments, ‘Harry Potter’ author JK Rowling stepped in to defend Gray, saying that she had bought the singer’s back catalog in support. She also retweeted Midler’s post.
Rowling has faced anger from trans activists before for airing similar views. On Friday, she posted a tweet from one of these activists who had posted her home address, a picture of a pipe bomb, and an instruction manual on how to build “improvised munitions.” Rowling’s views – that transgender activism is anti-feminist – have been condemned by the stars of the ‘Harry Potter’ series, and have generated intense backlash from LGBT organizations, as well as death and rape threats from the most zealous transgender ideologues online.