Novelist
Joanne K. Rowling claims that trans activists posted her address online
Joanne K. Rowling has been threatened by trans activists for a year
© Sonia Moskowitz // Picture Alliance
Joanne K. Rowling claims trans activists shared her Edinburgh address on Twitter. Most recently, the British author was criticized for allegedly trans-hostile statements.
British author Joanne K. Rowling, best known for the Harry Potter series, claims that trans activists posted a photo of the address of her Edinburgh residence on Twitter. Rowling announced this through her own Twitter account.
In June 2020, the author was targeted by activists due to trans-hostility. So she wrote on Twitter that she defends herself against terms like “people who menstruate”. She’ll keep talking about women. This triggered a debate about linguistic equality and social recognition.
Joanne K. Rowling receives death threats
Joanne K. Rowling explains in a tweet how she has been doing since her statements. Last Friday, activists posed for a photo in front of their home and positioned themselves so that one could see the address. She has also been receiving death threats since last summer.
The author described the actions of the group that posted the picture with her address as “doxxing” – the malicious publication of personal information on the Internet. Rowling also said she believed the activists were trying to “intimidate” her into “advocating for women’s sexual rights”.
“You should have kept in mind that I’ve now received so many death threats that I could use them to paper the house, and I haven’t stopped speaking,” she continues in her tweet. “Perhaps – and I’ll just put it this way – the best way to prove that your movement is not a threat to women is to stop stalking, harassing and threatening us,” says the author.
Activists received transphobic messages
According to the BBC, one of the people concerned wrote on Facebook: “Yesterday we posted a picture that we took in front of JK Rowling’s house.” The post, which has since been deleted, said: “We stand by the photo, but since we posted it we have received an overwhelming number of serious and threatening transphobic messages, so we decided to accept the photo Clear.”
The 56-year-old author also thanked the police on Twitter for their help. A police spokesman confirmed to the BBC that an investigation into the case was ongoing. In the meantime, however, the picture with Rowling’s address has been deleted. Rowling said, “I’d like to thank everyone who reported the picture to ‘TwitterSupport’. Your kindness and decency made all the difference to my family and me.” The three activists’ Twitter accounts have not been available since Monday.