Bowen Yang has taken to social media to publicly rebuke J.K. Rowling. The Saturday Night Live star posted a striking image to his Instagram Stories—a fierce glare into the camera accompanied by a raised middle finger, captioned, "Absolute fuck you to J.K. Rowling," adorned with the transgender pride flag emoji. This bold statement followed a landmark legal ruling in the UK on Wednesday, where the Supreme Court decreed that womanhood is legally defined by one's biological sex. Anti-transgender activists hailed the verdict as a triumph, whereas transgender advocates viewed it as a distressing setback, excluding transgender women from certain same-sex spaces.
Rowling, who has increasingly dedicated her post-Harry Potter career to anti-transgender advocacy, exulted over the decision, sharing multiple triumphant posts on social media. "I love it when a plan comes together," she captioned a photo of herself puffing on a cigar, alongside the hashtags #SupremeCourt and #WomensRights. In another post, she wrote, "The fact that so many UK trans activists are shrieking about injustice speaks volumes. You never had the rights you claim you've now lost; you had demands."
Yang is not the only celebrity to speak out against Rowling and her actions in the wake of this ruling. Nicola Coughlan, the star of Bridgerton, expressed her revulsion towards both the decision and Rowling's advocacy by sharing an article from The Cut titled "This Is a New Low for J.K. Rowling" on her Instagram Stories, accompanied by the words, "Keep your new Harry Potter lads," a reference to the upcoming HBO series adaptation of Rowling's books. She added, "Wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole." Coughlan also initiated a fundraiser for the trans charity Not a Phase, raising nearly €100,000 for the organization through social media.
Furthermore, Sean Biggerstaff, who portrayed Oliver Wood in three Harry Potter films, reposted several messages directly criticizing Rowling and expressed his unwavering support for the transgender community on Thursday. He also responded directly to Rowling, writing, "Bigotry rots the wit," in rebuttal to her joke about her celebratory cigar still being a cigar, regardless of its identification. Additionally, he replied to a post asserting that Rowling was "cast out for daring to defend women’s rights" by stating, "Christ, if that's what being cast out looks like, I'll take some."
