JK Rowling praises Harry Potter trailer and ban on trans women at Olympics
The International Olympic Committee’s decision to ban transgender women from competing in women’s events at the Olympics has unsurprisingly found support from “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling, who has regularly come under fire since 2017 for sharing anti-trans views on social media.
“Today’s ruling by the IOC marks a welcome return to fair sport for women and girls, but I will never forget the Paris 2024 scandal, when people who consider themselves supremely virtuous and progressive publicly cheered for men who hit women,” Rowling wrote on
Rowling slammed the 2024 Olympics for allowing Khleif to box other women. Khelif was disqualified from the Women’s World Championships a year earlier after failing a gender eligibility test due to elevated testosterone levels in her system.
“Can any image better summarize our new men’s rights movement?” Rowling wrote on “The grin of a man who knows he is protected by a misogynistic sports organization who revels in the suffering of a woman he just hit over the head and whose life ambition he just shattered.”
The Olympics stood by its decision to allow Khelif, who was born female, to compete in the women’s boxing competition, saying: “Anyone competing in the women’s category complies with the participation rules. In their passports they are women and it is stated that this is the case, that they are female.”
The IOC announced on March 26 that transgender women would be banned from events at future Olympic Games. The organization has issued the following statement (via AP): “Participation in any event in the female category at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females.”
Rowling has often turned to X to denounce transgender women competing in women’s sports. She infamously got into a social media feud with John Oliver, host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” over the issue, calling him an “undoubtedly intelligent person” who is “spouting absolute nonsense” after claiming “there is no evidence.” [transgender athletes] do not pose any threat to safety or fairness.”
Rowling’s celebration of the IOC’s decision to ban transgender athletes was followed by quick praise for HBO’s “Harry Potter” reboot series, the first trailer of which dropped a day before news of the Olympics broke. Rowling has been involved in the development of the series and consulted with studio executives during its creation.
“It’s going to be incredible. I’m so happy about it,” Rowling told a fan about 20 minutes after praising the ban on the Olympics.
