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J.K. Rowling decided to speak on behalf of lesbians & OMG it didn’t go over well

LOS ANGELES, USA - AUGUST 24, 2017: The beloved character Dobby in the Harry Potter exhibition in Warner Brothers Studio Tour in Burbank.
LOS ANGELES, USA - AUGUST 24, 2017: The beloved character Dobby in the Harry Potter exhibition in Warner Brothers Studio Tour in Burbank. Photo: Shutterstock

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling continued to attack transgender women online, but this time the billionaire straight woman opted to speak on behalf of lesbians.

And it landed with a thud, launching the hashtag #JKRowlingDoesntSpeakForMe.

Related: Emma Watson makes subtle dig at J.K. Rowling during awards show

Rowling’s continued transphobic antics have led many Harry Potter fans to distance themselves from her. Rowling has found support, however, in the far-right.The author has issued diatribes about transgender people, come out in support of conversion therapy for trans people, and claimed that almost everyone agrees with her, even as famous people that she has worked with condemned her words. She also published a book about a man who wears dresses in order to kill women.

As part of her ongoing back-and-forth with anti-transgender activists who describe themselves as “feminists” with the same ignorant glee that Republican gun owners define themselves as “pro-life,” Rowling decided to wade into the water.

She responded back to a man who had tweeted to her, “It’s a tragedy and a scandal that our gay rights organisations are now dedicated to undermining both women’s rights and the very foundation of same-sex attraction.”

“Innumerable gay people have been in touch with me to say exactly this,” Rowling pontificated in her retweet. “Like women, they – especially lesbians – are under attack for not wishing to be redefined and for refusing to use ideological language they find offensive.”

But the vast majority of lesbians – and the rest of the LGBTQ community – don’t feel “under attack” by our fellow community members. And we’ve seen these types of attacks from straight people before – including those who gussy up their claims with “my gay friend” appeals.

“Nah, we stand with the trans community. It’s also not an attack to call someone out for their transphobia!” activist Eliel Cruz tweeted in reply.

“Her attitude and behaviour disgusts me,” Elizabeth Hamlet replied. “Someone I once considered a hero and admired so much. It’s broken my heart to see she is full of hate and encourages hate towards others. I’m a cis woman and consider myself a feminist. She does not speak for me.”

“Since #JKrowlingDoesntSpeakForMe is trending can I just put out there that as a real woman and not a fragile man that JK ROWLING DOES SPEAK FOR ME,” conservative journalist Sophie Corcoran added.

And when Andrew Wheeler implored Rowling that “It’s not too late for you to walk back from the dark path you’ve found yourself on,” he finished by asking her to “please listen tot he people who are asking you to lead with love.”

But like Voldemort himself, instead, Rowling opted to retweet one of her anti-trans cohorts who linked him to “paedophiles, rapists & misogynists.” She apparently opted to skip right over “love” and go for “dangerous stereotypes that lead to violence and death threats” instead. With over 13M followers, the influential author’s claims and castigations have led to threats of violence and online harassment by her anti-trans fans.

“She’s playing with my personal safety for rhetorical clout,” he posted in response. “She’s inviting death threats against me because I asked her to lead with love rather than play into the hands of the far right.”

“Ms Rowling, please, look at what comes so easily to you. Look at what you’ve become.”

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