JK Rowling continues to make comments that her fans and many LGBT people have seen as transphobic.
This Monday (6), the writer of Harry Potter angered these same people by comparing hormonal treatment for transgender people in transition with “gay cure” therapies (treatments that have been banned in several countries and, in practice, are nothing more than practices without scientific basis that traumatize LGBT people subjected to they).
In a sequence of several tweets, the British woman said she was worried about “a new type of conversion therapy for young gay people”, as many young people take hormones to transition as if these medications were the “new antidepressants”, referring to high numbers of teenagers taking medication for depression.
Then, using links to reports and scientific articles, the writer said that she has already taken antidepressants when needed and that she supports the fight against transphobia. However, it was insufficient for many Twitter users, who argue that Rowling's opposition to hormonal treatments for transgender youth is based on transphobia rather than concern for the health of this population.
The author of Harry Potter accused doctors of being “lazy” for prescribing medications and referring transgender patients for surgery when, in fact, Rowling suggests, these alternatives may not be the most appropriate for the moment.
“Many healthcare professionals are concerned that young people with mental health problems are being steered toward hormones and surgery when that is not in their best interest,” he wrote.
However, according to reports Universa. UOL, the NHS – the British public health service – runs the only clinics responsible for this type of treatment and its reality is different from what Rowling describes in her arguments.
Access to this type of treatment has several long stages, all carried out with the necessary care, such as psychological assessments of patients and the social context in which they find themselves and assessments by specialists from different areas.
I've ignored fake tweets attributed to me and RTed widely. I've ignored porn tweeted at children on a thread about their art. I've ignored death and rape threats. I'm not going to ignore this. 1/11 pic.twitter.com/hfSaGR2UVa
- JK Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 5, 2020
