User:GrayDoggerson/sandbox

Main Controversy
Troubled Blood, is the fifth novel in JK Rowling's Cormoran Strike series. The novel was published under the alias Robert Galbraith and came under fire for its protagonist: serial killer Dennis Creed, dressing as a woman to murder his victims. Given Rowling’s past comments on trans-women, including stating prior that it is “the simple truth” that allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice would lead to violent offenses, many thought it strange that Rowling would adopt the transphobic horror trope. Particularly questionable phrasing includes Creed saying: "In a wig, bit of lipstick, they think you're harmless, odd… maybe queer." This line is seen as depicting trans-women as overly predatory. In the novel, Creed is further graphically depicted as ‘spying’ on women in the bathroom and as a male fetishist who steals women’s underwear for masturbation. However, there is no evidence to support the claim that allowing trans individuals to use the bathroom of their choice leads to increased violence or sexual assault. This narrative has led CNN book critic, Jake Kerridge, to argue that the moral of the book is essentially to “not trust a man in a dress”.

Criticism has also arisen from depicting Creed as overly narcissistic and sexual which are not only traditionally masculine archetypes but especially since Rowling has previously asserted that trans-women are fetishists and not legitimate women. It is noted that Creed is not a trans-women rather a crossdresser. Still, the narrative is suspiciously similar to discourse Rowling had been engaging in up until the novel’s release and her willingness to support Maya Forstater, a tax expert who was fired for allegedly transphobic remarks.

Related Controversies
Prior to the release of Troubled Blood, Rowling also faced scrutiny for her tweet that mocked the use of the phrase ‘people who menstruate’. The intention of this phrase is to be inclusive of transgender men, gender non-conforming people and non-binary individuals who may all potentially menstruate. Critics -- especially from the trans community -- note that Rowling’s tweet conflates gender and sex by failing to recognize that not all people who menstruate are women.

Ever since Rowling demonstrated her support for Maya Forstater via Twitter, Rowling has been labelled a ‘TERF’ or a transgender exclusionary radical feminist. In 2008, TERF first came into existence on a blog post as a way of distinguishing trans-inclusionary radical feminists with trans-exclusionary radical feminists. Although the word was coined in 2008, many political feminists who are now considered TERFs rose to prominence in the 1970s and tied themselves to a feminist movement which saw trans-women as appropriating female identity. TERFs' often advocate for trans-excluded female spaces. Some people consider the acronym to be a slur.

Notable Criticism
Rowling’s comments not only sparked backlash from the trans community but also received denunciation from actors Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, both of whom were stars in the film adaptations of Rowling’s Harry Potter series.

Following the release of Troubled Blood, Mermaids -- a UK charity aimed at helping transgender children and their families -- expressed concerns with the way in which Rowling’s novel could potentially perpetuate the view of trans people as threats.