There was once a time in which the world excitedly awaited the arrival of a new JK Rowling book. That time is not now. The arrival of her new book Troubled Blood has sent the internet into a new frenzy. Published under her writing alias Robert Galbraith, the book has a storyline that is about the mysterious disappearance of a woman “thought to have been a victim of Dennis Creed, a transvestite serial killer.”
Rowling has said in a recent Q&A that she drew inspiration from real-life killers Jerry Brudos and Russell Williams, who both attacked and killed women dressed in women’s clothes. This plot has also been said to strongly resemble Silence of the Lambs. One of the things that garnered the most public outcry was her use of the word “transvestite,” an outdated term used to describe men who dabbled in wearing women’s clothes. It is often used to refer to transgender people in a derogatory way.
This is not Rowling’s first run-in with transphobia. Earlier this year, she faced a wide backlash from the internet for her tweets correlating gender-affirming surgeries for transgender people to conversion therapy. In June, she took public offense to an op-ed calling for the use of the more inclusive “people who menstruate” instead of women. She recently wrote a 4,000-word op-ed on her personal website defending her stance, stating that it stemmed from a fear of the perceived safety of cisgender women in women’s restrooms. This rhetoric is known to be harmful to her reputation, yet it has brought her and her career, along with this new book, back into the spotlight.
The Daily Telegraph, one of the first to review the new book, led the charge on social media, getting the hashtags #RIPJKRowling and #JKRowlingIsOverParty trending worldwide. Some fans came to her defense, saying she had a right to express whatever opinion she wishes. Others called her out for her lack of compassion, empathy and decency. Different Twitter accounts used the opportunity to showcase transgender authors or “less problematic” authors and urged people to boycott the book completely.
Similar to one of its predecessors, “Silkworm” in the Cormoran Strike detective series also deals with this topic in its depiction of a transgender woman. One particular scene that was referenced in criticism of this new book was a scene where a transgender woman is threatened in the detective Cormoran Strike’s office. The detective blatantly alludes to the prison assault of transgender people and uses it to threaten her into compliance. Despite all the online criticisms, Troubled Blood still cinched the number one bestseller spot in America upon its release. Even with a tumultuous release, JK Rowling seems to keep pushing forward.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Pinterest!