"So throw her in Azkaban": J.K. Rowling sparks outrage with prison time statement over trans beliefs

On October 17, Harry Potter series' British author J.K. Rowling made headlines after she tweeted an image containing the text: “Repeat after us: Trans women are women,” and captioned it as “No.”

As soon as the post went viral, netizens began slamming her. In fact, an X user with the handle @MusicByScott encouraged her to vote for the Labour Party in the U.K. and stated:

“Vote Labour, get a two year stretch!”

It was a reference to the fact that the U.K.’s Labour Party plans to “incorporate transph*bic abuse”. This implies that if someone threatened the trans community in any way or did not use the pronouns they prefer, it would be considered a hate crime and would be punishable by two years in prison.

But J.K. Rowling seemed to be unaffected by the reminder and instead went on to post:

“I’ll happily do two years if the alternative is compelled speech and forced denial of the reality and importance of s*x. Bring on the court case, I say. It’ll be more fun than I’ve ever had on a red carpet.”

Rowling making an anti-trans stand. (Image via X/jk_rowling)

As soon as her response surfaced, netizens put her under fire. One user even commented under @PopBase’s post reporting the same.

A netizen slamming Rowling. (Image via X/9illeh)

The tweet was in reference to J.K. Rowling’s book Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, where Azkaban refers to a fictional detention facility located in the middle of the North Sea, where wizards who violate the law are sent for exile.

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“Luckily, they don’t need you to agree”: J.K. Rowling faces backlash from Twitteratti for her transph*bic remark

On Tuesday, J.K. Rowling took to Twitter to say “no” to refer to trans women as women. When a follower pointed out that she might have to do jail time for her transph*bic opinion, she further stated how she would be happy to serve in prison rather than go against her views.

When another user @CrowPurple25 commented: “See you on the inside. I quite fancy the kitchens,” Rowling once again came forward to give her opinion and shared which prison duties would suit her best.

“Hoping for the library, obviously, but I think I could do okay in the kitchen. Laundry might be a problem. I have a tendency to shrink stuff/turn it pink accidentally. Guessing that won’t be an issue if it’s mostly scrubs and sheets, though,” she noted.

Since her series of tweets went viral, J.K. Rowling has faced backlash from Twitteratti:

Interestingly, this is not the first time the acclaimed author has voiced her controversial standpoints on the trans community and the use of pronouns.

Earlier, in 2020, she was condemned when she called out an op-ed for using the expression “people who menstruate” rather than using the word “women.” Here’s what J.K. Rowling said on Twitter back then.

"If s*x isn't real, there's no same-s*x attraction. If s*x isn't real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of s*x removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn't hate to speak the truth."

Prior to that, in 2019, she defended a woman online who was fired for tweeting “Men cannot change into women.” In 2017, J.K. Rowling also came under fire for liking a tweet that slammed the transgender rights movement.

Meanwhile, she has continued to face backlash from the public and celebrities alike, including Harry Potter movie stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, among others.