November 23, 2021 - 11:45am

In a move that has proved to be as popular as a holiday in Peterborough, three trans activists rocked up to JK Rowling's family home last week, strategically posing for a photograph that included her address for all to see. Claiming to be protesting the writer’s ‘transphobia’, the three posted the photograph on Twitter, clearly hoping for a pile-on. The trio chose Trans Day of Remembrance to pull their pathetic stunt, but in reality, not one trans person has been murdered in the UK this past three years. In contrast, 120 women have died at the hands of men this year. The narcissistic arrogance of the activists is staggering, bearing in mind that Rowling’s trouble began with her having the nerve to defend women’s sex-based rights and single sex provisions such as domestic violence refuges. It is extraordinary that the activists and their propaganda machines, such as Pink News and LGBTQ Nation, can turn it around to make the three activists look like the victims and Rowling the perpetrator. The headline and blurb on LGBTQ Nation reads: [su_unherd_quote attribute_1="LGBTQ Nation"]JK Rowling unleashes her three million followers on three trans activists who protested outside her home… JK Rowling compared the quiet protest to rape threats. The activists have disappeared from social media after being hounded by the author’s fans.[/su_unherd_quote] PinkNewscoverage was no better: [su_unherd_quote attribute_1="Pink News"]JK Rowling condemns three actors who held a trans rights protest outside her house, accusing them of deliberately exposing her private address…in protest against her long-condemned views on trans lives.[/su_unherd_quote] What has happened to Rowling is a high-profile example of what will happen to other women if they don’t toe the line. Unlike Rowling, most women targeted by the extremists are at risk of losing their livelihood. I have been stalked by trans activists for 17 years now. During that time, I have experienced attempts to get me blacklisted from newspapers and magazines and I have lost paid and unpaid work when organisers cancelled events at which I was scheduled to speak. I am one of the lucky ones because I have a public profile and enough of a solid reputation as a campaigner against male violence, something I was known for decades before the trans activists came for me. I have lost count of the number of times I have heard said about Rowling that she is rich and famous enough for this harassment to not affect her, so what is she complaining about? The assumption that slurs and bullying can be doled out with impunity at successful women is nothing short of sadistic. Unlike the trans activists, Rowling spends much of her time and money supporting disadvantaged groups of people and has stood up for women who have no public platform, despite the cost to her. What has happened to Rowling is a clear warning to other women to ‘shut up, bitch’. But the feminist tradition is to defy bullies and resist attempts at silencing our voices. Thankfully, in Rowling, women and girls everywhere have an exemplary role model and a mentor.

Julie Bindel is an investigative journalist, author, and feminist campaigner. Her latest book is Feminism for Women: The Real Route to Liberation. She also writes on Substack.

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