Boy George, Padro Pascal, David Tennant, and More Hit Back at Joanne Rowling Over Her Transphobia

Joanne Rowling, the transphobic author who sometimes uses the chosen names J.K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, has been making her usual attacks on trans people, particularly following the recent decision by the U.K. Supreme Court which declared trans women to not be legally women, a legal effort that Rowling helped fund. Thankfully, some big-name celebrities who are known defenders of trans rights are hitting back at the author on social media, some with vicious attacks and some taking a more dignified path.

As we previously reported, Rowling celebrated the U.K. Supreme Court victory over scientific consensus by posting a picture of herself smoking a cigar and writing, “I love it when a plan comes together. #SupremeCourt #WomensRights.” The vile image and inaccurate hashtags set off more than a few people who hit back on social media.

Freelance writer Tariq Ra’ouf posted a video on Instagram that went viral in which he called her behavior “serious Voldemort villain shit” and said that “our mission as the general public to make sure that every single thing Harry-Potter-related fails.” Ra’ouf continued, saying:

“That means posting in every Harry Potter TV show update, in every article, that trans rights are human rights, that trans women are women. It means not buying a ticket to Universal to see Harry Potter World.

“That awful, disgusting shit (the celebration of this ruling), that has consequences.”

Actor Pedro Pascal—who is currently becoming the nerd king with his roles in the Star Wars Universe, Game of Thrones, Gladiator II, and as one of the few actors to appear in both Marvel and DC superhero movies—posted a response to Ra’ouf’s message, saying, “Awful disgusting SHIT is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behavior.” Pascal, of course, is known for being a staunch ally of the trans community, in part due to the influence of his transgender sister Lux Pascal. He’s also largely responsible for recently popularizing the “Protect the Dolls” t-shirts in support of the trans community.

Another star to strike back at Rowling recently is Bridgerton and Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlin, who most recently appeared in the Doctor Who Christmas special. Coughlin, who recently raised over £120,000 ($160,000) for a U.K. trans charity called Not a Phase, wrote on Instagram stories, ““Keep your new Harry Potter, lads. Wouldn’t touch it with a 10ft pole.”

When someone on Twitter tweeted to Rowling about both Pascal and Coughlin throwing shade at her, Rowling responded about two of the biggest stars in film and television right now, “I can’t be bothered to Google. Who are they?” Shortly after claiming to not know who Pascal was, she changed her profile banner on Twitter to a picture of dolls. Yeah, sure, Joanne. You don’t know who he is.

Gay pop star and former Culture Club member Boy George was the next to respond to the supporters of Rowling who claimed that Pedro Pascal “hates women” because he criticized Rowling and supports trans women. “Stop this nonsense that if you don’t agree with @jk_rowling you hate women,” tweeted George. “She hates men. This is where this truth lies. She cannot differentiate between a ‘trans’ woman and a biological male. Which is weird with her imagination?”

Rowling tried to respond, but naturally had to misrepresent facts to prove her point. “I’m married to a man, George,” the transphobic twit tweeted. “I do not hate men. I simply live in reality where men—however they identify—commit 98% of sexual assaults, and 88% of victims are female. Trans-identified men are no less likely than other kinds of men to pose a risk to women or girls.”

As PinkNews points out, she seems to be quoting statistics from the Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre, but those statistics are specifically about men and make absolutely zero mention about trans women, and does not make the claim she says it does that trans women are equally likely to pose a risk to cis women. In fact, a 2018, peer-reviewed article in The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law found that, “From a scientific and evidence-based perspective, there is no current evidence that granting transgender individuals access to gender-corresponding restrooms results in an increase in sexual offenses.” In fact, the UCLA School of Law found that transgender people are more than four times more likely to be victims of assault than cis people, and that includes sexual assault.

Probably the most civil rebuke of the author in the recent news came from Doctor Who and Good Omens star David Tennant, who also holds the distinction of having played a role in the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire which was based on a book by Rowling. Tennant is known to be a big supporter of the trans community, thanks in part to his nonbinary child Wilfred. In a June 2024 tweet, Rowling referred to Tennant as part of the “gender Taliban.” This past Sunday, on a British show called The Assembly where celebrities face questions from neurodivergent and learning-disabled fans, Tennant was asked about Rowling, and he said, “JK Rowling is a wonderful author who’s created brilliant stories, and I wish her no ill will, but I hope that we can all as a society, just let people be. Just get out of people’s way.”

That’s a much nicer response than Rowling deserved.

Photo courtesy of social media