Countering cancel culture
That the Featherston Book-town cancelled a Harry Potter quiz because of JK Rowling’s supposed transphobia is the height of both stupidity and ignorance (“Off the guest list”, May 1). Shame on the organisers for not having examined for themselves what Rowling’s “transphobia” consisted of. Step 1 was her commenting on how ridiculous it is to refer to “people who menstruate” rather than saying “women”.
The next sin was to respond to the vitriol that step 1 brought her by pointing out that her life has been shaped by being female, that biological sex matters, that the rights of women and girls to body autonomy, privacy and dignity should be upheld just as much as the rights of trans people.
For this, she has been declared a bigot, a transphobe and scum, including, apparently, by the “industry leaders, members of the Featherston Book-town board and key people in the community” consulted by Mary Biggs.
The cancel culture forum at the book festival is called “Do Artists’ Morals Matter?” I am curious to know how Rowling’s statements call her morals into question, especially when lined up alongside the likes of Woody Allen and Michael Jackson. How embarrassing for Featherston’s true book lovers.
Jill Abigail (Ōtaki)
Has it been forgotten that less than a hundred years ago, people were still fighting hard against the practice of bowdlerising – censoring from texts any material considered unsavoury and inappropriate for innocent and trial being the breaking point?
