Billboard Declaring Love for JK Rowling Defaced and Removed Amid Stance on Transgender Issues

J.K. Rowling has been caught up in some severe controversy after sharing her stance on transgender issues. As a result, a billboard in Vancouver that read, “I love J.K. Rowling,” has been defaced. The sign had only been up for approximately 36 hours before it had been tarnished.

Rowling has come under fire for her thoughts on transgender issues, even penning an essay that expressed her thoughts on the subject. In it, the Harry Potter author explained how she is concerned “about the huge explosion in young women wishing to transition and also about the increasing numbers who seem to be detransitioning because they regret taking steps.” In her piece she noted that those who go through with it often are “driven by homophobia.” Rowling referred to the trend that has seen males predominantly going through with the transition to now being mostly females.

In her message, she even went into to discuss how society has changed in her mind, “...between the backlash against feminism and a porn-saturated online culture, I believe things have got significantly worse for girls.” This led to her final thought, which is when she said she is “deeply concerned” about the trans activism. In addition to what she shared in her essay, Rowling also got involved on Twitter over the matter.

After the author gave her commentary on the topic, Daniel Radcliffe, who starred in the franchise as the title character, came out and responded, noting that he felt “compelled to say something” but that it was not in a way to combat Rowling. “Transgender women are women,” he said in a statement. “Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given.”

In May, Rowling revealed she's writing a new fantasy book entitled The Ickabog. The book will not have any connection to the Harry Potter series and will be written for younger children.