A tweet from a Metro Vancouver transgender activist slamming J.K Rowling prompted a reply from the prolific author today - and it wasn’t friendly.
Nicola Spurling, a Coquitlam-based entrepreneur, LGBTQ2+ advocate and former Green Party candidate, on Tuesday tweeted a link to an article from the Guardian about Rowling’s new children’s book.
In the now-deleted tweet, Spurling added the caption, “Definitely something to keep a close eye on. In recent years, Rowling has made it clear that she can no longer be trusted around children.”
Spurling’s criticism comes following a wave of backlash aimed at Rowling in December after the Harry Potter creator voiced her support for a U.K. researcher who was fired for stating her belief that “it is impossible to change sex.”
The author did not take kindly to Spurling’s accusations that Rowling is transphobic, with Rowling claiming that Spurling’s tweets constituted defamation, and hinting that a lawsuit may be coming.
“Unless you want to hear from lawyers, you might want to rethink that tweet. I’m not wasting my time arguing with wilful misrepresentations of my views on transgenderism – your timelines show you’re not big on truth – but making serious insinuations like with comes with consequences,” Rowling tweeted in reply on Friday.
Spurling's original tweet has since been deleted. Photo: Screenshot/Twitter Later on in the day, Spurling deleted the original tweet, writing instead, “At the request of @jk_rowling and on the advice of my lawyers, I have deleted my original tweet. The tweet, when read on its own, lacked clarity and, right or wrong, wealth is powerful.”
She followed up with a reply, adding, “With that said, I stand behind the intent of the tweet, which is to highlight the dangerous nature of transphobia. Children are particularly vulnerable and must be accepted for who they are, not told that who they are is wrong. With great power comes great responsibility.”
