Summary
Zoe Strimpel’s portrayal of 2025 as the “year of J.K. Rowling’s triumph” - a response: A trans woman named Dee critiques Zoe Strimpel's positive portrayal of J.K. Rowling's influence, arguing that Rowling's stance on transgender issues represents a descent into transphobia and a harmful use of her platform.
Zoe Strimpel’s portrayal of 2025 as the “year of J.K. Rowling’s triumph” – a response
Sir,
Zoe Strimpel’s portrayal of 2025 as the “year of J.K. Rowling’s triumph” [29 March] demands a critical response. Rowling may still command influence, but let’s not mistake that for virtue. Her transformation from beloved author to vocal transphobe isn’t a cultural win—it’s a tragedy.
What began as “concerns” about single-sex spaces has devolved into targeted mockery of trans individuals, cheerleading for anti-trans policies, and rhetoric that misgenders, dehumanises, and incites harassment. Her platform legitimises fearmongering, emboldens bad legislation, and makes life tangibly more dangerous for an already marginalised group.
Strimpel claims joy at Rowling’s resurgence, but there’s no joy in watching someone use immense cultural capital to divide, bully, and regress our understanding of gender and inclusion. Rowling’s legacy—once grounded in empathy and resistance to authoritarianism—now amplifies intolerance and exclusion.
We don’t need to cancel Rowling. But we do need to call her what she has become: not a triumphant heroine of free speech, but a cautionary tale of how power can be wielded to punch down.
Yours faithfully,
Dee
