JK Rowling has revealed she's a survivor of domestic abuse, listing it as one of five reasons she's "deeply concerned about trans activism".
Fans and celebrities, including the star of the Harry Potter movies Daniel Radcliffe, have publicly taken issue with Rowling's repeated use of what they deemed to be transphobic rhetoric on social media.
In response to the backlash, Rowling seemingly doubled down on her comments, penning a lengthy essay on the subject of "sex and gender issues" on her website.
Rowling said the piece "wasn't easy to write", explaining the timeline of controversy around her views, which began when she tweeted support for Maya Forstater, who was fired for "transphobic" tweets.
"All the time I’ve been researching and learning, accusations and threats from trans activists have been bubbling in my Twitter timeline," she said.
Rowling insisted she was not a TERF (Trans-Exclusionary Radial Feminist), as she has often been accused of being, but went on to bolster her previous comments, speaking out against inclusive bathrooms and claiming widespread misogyny.
"We're living through the most misogynistic period I've experienced... I believe things have got significantly worse for girls," she wrote.
Among her reasons for "being worried about the new trans activism": that the cause is pushing to "erode the legal definition of sex", that the trans rights movement has a negative effect on the education and safeguarding of children, and that the concept of freedom of speech is being impacted by the movement.
Rowling also said she was concerned about the "huge explosion in young women wishing to transition and also about the increasing numbers who seem to be detransitioning". She claimed a 4400 percent increase in girls being referred for transitioning treatment in the UK, with a "huge overrepresentation" of autistic girls among them.
"I want to be very clear here: I know transition will be a solution for some gender dysphoric people, although I'm also aware through extensive research that studies have consistently shown that between 60-90 percent of gender dysphoric teens will grow out of their dysphoria," she wrote.
Rowling also took the opportunity to reveal she is a "domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor", adding that she wasn't "attempting to garner sympathy", but was instead standing in solidarity with other women with similar histories who are concerned about maintaining single-sex spaces.
"I want trans women to be safe. At the same time, I do not want to make natal girls and women less safe," she wrote.
"When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman - and, as I've said, gender confirmation certificates may now be granted without any need for surgery or hormones - then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside. That is the simple truth."
Rowling also took issue with the concept of "inclusive language" which refers to female people as "menstrators or "people with vulvas" as "dehumanising and demeaning".
"I understand why trans activists consider this language to be appropriate and kind, but for those of us who’ve had degrading slurs spat at us by violent men, it’s not neutral, it’s hostile and alienating."
Meanwhile, Emma Watson, another of the stars of the Harry Potter films, tweeted her support for trans people without naming Rowling.
"Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are," she wrote.
"I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are."
