JK Rowling called homophobic for blaming trans support on women who “snog” other women

Transphobic writer JK Rowling lashed out at women who kiss other women, saying that they want the “eradication of single-sex” facilities.

Rowling made the comment in response to a clip from interior designer Jennifer Welch’s and lawyer Angie Sullivan’s podcast, where they talked with queer influencer Matt Bernstein about Rowling’s obsession with transgender people, which she usually frames as protecting cisgender women from transgender women.

Related: JK Rowling’s family begged her to shut up about trans people

She says she just needed to “out” herself as anti-trans.

“I’m a woman,” Welch said in the clip. “I’m a progressive woman. I always vote for women’s rights. I would consider myself to be a feminist.”

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“I am not, in any way, shape, or form, threatened, nor is my femininity, by the existence of trans women.”

What tf is going on with JK Rowling? @mattxiv pic.twitter.com/mFvyYEsyoO

— I've Had It Podcast (@ivehaditpodcast) June 4, 2024

The clip was shared by an antitrans activist who goes by “Duncan” on X and who describes himself as a “same-sex attracted” man. “Same-sex attracted” is an expression commonly used by conversion therapy providers and evangelical Christians to pejoratively refer to gay and bi people.

“Trying my best not to say the wrong thing here but women like this, specifically like this… are typically the type that want to be my best friend and go shopping,” Duncan wrote.

Rowling saw his post and responded by telling the story of “a male friend of mine” who “asked a female friend of his what kind of woman would be ok cheering on the eradication of single sex rape shelters, changing rooms, women’s sport etc.”

“She thought for a moment, then said, ‘you know the girl at the school party who’d snog another girl if the lads were watching? It’s THAT girl,'” Rowling wrote.

A male friend of mine asked a female friend of his what kind of woman would be ok cheering on the eradication of single sex rape shelters, changing rooms, women’s sport etc. She thought for a moment, then said, ‘you know the girl at the school party who’d snog another girl if the…

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 5, 2024

Rowling is right in that LGBTQ+ people – whether they’re trans or cis – are far more likely to support trans rights than straight and cisgender people, according to an LA Times poll released this month.

A YouGov poll last year in the U.K. also found that 75% of cis LGBTQ+ people had a positive view of trans people, with 84% of cis bi and lesbian women saying they had a positive view of trans people. This is far higher than the 39% of people in general in the U.K. who had a positive view of trans people.

In responses, people pointed out that Rowling wasn’t exactly referring to queer women, even though she seemed to be presenting the idea of two women kissing in a negative light. What she was referring to, they insisted, was same-sex performativity, or same-sex behavior from people who identify as heterosexual.

Social and behavioral scientist Samantha Stevens says women engage in same-sex performativity for a variety of reasons, including the safe exploration of their own sexuality.

“Media and popular culture often fetishize and trivialize this kind of sexual behavior among college women, but there’s more complexity than people might realize and it’s important to avoid overgeneralizing and oversimplifying this phenomenon and the women who engage in it,” Stevens told Psychology Today.

On X, people called Rowling’s comments anti-LGBTQ+. Others suggested that the “male friend” with the “female friend” that Rowling described doesn’t actually exist.

I guess snog "any consenting adult who will have you" is also out the window now pic.twitter.com/4mkkHE9MHZ

— Ari Drennen (@AriDrennen) June 6, 2024

Bisexual hate. Lovely. They just hate the whole LGBTQA collective.

— Goddess Alleria || Trad Wife Goddess