JK Rowling Gets Into War of Words with 'Dr. Who' Actor David Tennant: 'Gender Taliban'
Given the widespread success and general acclaim of her beloved “Harry Potter” book series, perhaps it should be of little surprise that author J.K. Rowling has a way of using her words to great effect.
And if she’s wielding those words against you in a bit of a public spat? Watch out.
The noted “TERF” — a “trans-exclusionary radical feminist,” and, yes, the second half of that acronym disqualifies her from conservatism — is no stranger to controversy due the first half of that acronym.
In fact, Harry Potter and her stance on transgenderism are probably the two things Rowling is best known for in 2024.
Given that reputation, it also makes Rowling something of a target — especially when it comes to her more left-leaning peers.
One such peer, popular British actor David Tennant (perhaps best known for his take on “Dr. Who,” but who’s also been in a number of popular shows and films) took a bit of a swing at Rowling whilst accepting his “2024 British LGBT Award.”
Tennant, who won 2024’s “Celebrity Ally” of the year award, didn’t mince words when it came to anyone who dared to think that boys are boys and girls are girls.
First, the British actor targeted British equalities minister Kemi Badenoch with something that sounded just short of a call to violence.
“Until we wake up and Kemi Badenoch doesn’t exist anymore…” Tennant said to thunderous applause, before correcting to, “I don’t wish ill of her, I just wish her to shut up. Whilst we do live in this world, I am honored to receive this [award],” Tennant said in a now-viral X clip.
Badenoch, who believes that males claiming to be females should stay out of actual female sports, swiftly responded to Tennant on X:
I will not shut up. I will not be silenced by men who prioritise applause from Stonewall over the safety of women and girls.
A rich, lefty, white male celebrity so blinded by ideology he can’t see the optics of attacking the only black woman in government by calling publicly… https://t.co/caIQOFYnrU
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) June 25, 2024
“I will not shut up,” Badenoch said. “I will not be silenced by men who prioritise applause from Stonewall over the safety of women and girls.”
She further jabbed Tennant as a “rich, lefty, white male celebrity” who was “blinded by ideology.”
That’s a strong jab, but still only just a jab. However, whereas Badenoch — by virtue of being a government official — must adhere to some sort of decorum, Rowling is not bound by such frivolities.
First, on Wednesday, she quote-posted someone discussing the Tennant-Badenoch tiff by labeling Tennant and his ilk with a savage nickname.
But the utterances of the Gender Taliban receive special dispensation, for they are a holy caste. https://t.co/LvaD7M8NO0
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 26, 2024
“But the utterances of the Gender Taliban receive special dispensation, for they are a holy caste,” Rowling posted, referring to the fact that nobody really batted an eyelash at Tennant’s not-so-subtle call for Badenoch.
When Tennant further ramped up his violent, pro-transgenderism rhetoric at the British award show, Rowling made sure to respond to that too.
“It’s a tiny bunch of little whinging f***ers who are on the wrong side of history, and they’ll all go away soon,” Tennant was quoted as saying, per Deadline.
Rowling fired back: “This man is talking about rape survivors who want female-only care, the nurses currently suing their health trust for making them change in front of a man, girls and women losing sporting opportunities to males and female prisoners incarcerated with convicted sex offenders.”
When one user pointed out the implicit threat of violence in Tennant’s words, Rowling agreed it was odd: “For a man who’s supposedly a model of compassion and tolerance, he sure does want a lot of people to cease to exist.”
For a man who’s supposedly a model of compassion and tolerance, he sure does want a lot of people to cease to exist.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 28, 2024
Remember when everyone believed that boys and girls couldn’t just swap genders with some mutilating surgery and a cocktail of hormonal drugs?
We’ve come to the point in history where the woman who crafted a world filled with magical wizards and sentient chocolate frogs is the one defending that belief.
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