JK Rowling: ‘14 is too young to decide whether to change gender’
The ‘Harry Potter’ writer, 57, has been flooded with hate messages and death threats since she first waded into the trans rights debate in 2019 but has now doubled-down on her beliefs – and revealed she questioned her sexuality as an adolescent.
JK told ‘The Witch Trials of JK Rowling’ podcast: “As an adolescent… I questioned my sexuality, thinking, ‘Well, I can tell my friends are pretty. Does that mean I’m gay?’
“I grew up to be a straight woman, but I’ve never forgotten that feeling of anxiety around my body.
“I didn’t feel like I fitted in. Aged 11 or 12 I looked very androgynous with short hair and I was acutely anxious about my changing body and became aware it was attracting attention that I didn’t welcome, particularly from boys at school.”
JK – who has daughter Jessica, 27, with her first husband Jorge and who has been married since 2001 to doctor Neil Murray, with whom she has son David, 19, and 18-year-old daughter Mackenzie – added about not believing young teens were emotionally equipped to decide whether they were ready to transition gender: “I don’t believe that even a 14-year-old can truly understand what the loss of their fertility is. At 14 I would have said that I didn’t want children but (motherhood) has been the most joyful, wonderful thing in my life.
“I couldn’t have comprehended that and would have had no idea about what I was giving up… there will be a minority of people for whom this will be solution.
“But in the numbers, particularly of young people that we are currently seeing coming forward, I find cause for doubt and concern.”
The writer also branded the strength of trans activists an “instance of authoritarianism” and “the attitude of the fundamentalist”.
JK, worth an estimated £850 million thanks to the Harry Potter book and film franchise, also said she found comfort in being financially independent enough to be able to share her views on trans issues, which she feels is her “moral obligation”. She added: “I wanted to join the conversation because I was watching women being shut down.”
