J.K. Rowling | ContraPoints 

First they came for the celebrities

“I have friends who struggle with same sex attraction 😇” literally gave me war flashbacks to my Mormon upbringing

"Casual misogynists" implies the existence of Ranked competitive misogynists

When the first Harry Potter book came out, Ursula Le Guin commented that she thought it was fine, but the author came off a bit mean-spirited. She saw it before any of us did. Such a brilliant woman.

"When you dehumanize the villains, you become unable to recognize the villain within" I absolutely love this

holy shit, i knew “terf is a slur” is a thing, but “being called racist is like calling a black person the n word to me” literally made me lose my mind

"I'm honouring God with my sex-change" are you TRYING to kill Girl Defined

"There are two things she can't stand: bigotry and the transsexuals!" is an extremely iconic line

"I can't wait until trans people have so many rights it is Okay to make fun of us" that's gold.

"You're not less of a bigot because your bigotry has a tragic backstory" *Severus Snape has entered the chat*

harry: * is assigned slytherin at parent-murder but knows he is a gryffindor * sorting hat: "valid"

"What if I'm a Gryffindor trapped in a Hufflepuff's body?" Then you're Neville Longbottom, obviously.

Being amazed at how this amazing video also has Chinese subtitles, let me say: The Chinese transliteration of Natalie, 娜塔莉, has 娜 which means graceful, elegant and delicate and 莉 which means sweet and pretty. All qualities that Natalie has ❤

"This is the most effort you're gonna get from me, this isn't Contrapoints." -Lindsay Ellis "I haven't researched this, who do you think I am? Lindsay Ellis?" -Contrapoints

Thinking about the scenes in Harry Potter where Ron, Harry, Hermione, and the ghost of a teenage girl were all able to be in the same bathroom together without this bathroom war debate coming up.

I wasn't out when this video first released, and the stuff about bathrooms- about how trans girls will often compromise their actual safety to protect cis women's "feelings" of safety really sticks out to me. After I came out- I had something I've since referred to as my "big trans night out". Me and a group of friends went out drinking with me presenting fem. I live in a conservative area, we have no gay bars or queer spaces- but there's this one bar that was always very welcoming to complete weirdos, people from alt scenes, etc- i had cross dressed there in the past. At the start of the night I said I would continue using the men's toilets. I looked good, but I didn't perfectly pass- i had internalised so much of this transphobia, and didn't want to make other girls feel threatened or scared. I was sexually assaulted several times in the men's bathroom- men grabbing at my ass and flat chest, trying to kick open the stall I was using, shouting and jeering at me- with the worst incident involving a man pinning me against the wall with his forearm, while trying to get his other hand up my dress far enough to go back down under my tights and into my underwear. My tights were pulled up past my navel, so I managed to throw him off before he could actually touch my genitals skin to skin, but he had managed to grab me through my clothes. I later discovered that he had actually seriously hurt me- I was aching for a few days, and without going into too much detail, I realised I was bleeding after sex. People around me were on pretty high alert from the start of the night, trying to make sure I was safe and having fun, so upon following me out of the bathroom- The guy was almost instantly thrown out of the bar by door staff. But I was really shaken by what had happened. So, 5 hours after declaring I was one of the good trannys! I'm not some cringe overeager gender activist! I would respect women's spaces until I passed perfectly and deserved to enter them!. I started using the womens toilets. Because I didn't just *feel* threatened. I was almost raped. And you know what? nobody cared. After all the rhetoric about the evil transes invading the sacred spaces of women. Real women in the real world? they welcomed me there. On the one occasion some other girls clocked me as trans in there- I immediately started drunkenly apologizing- trying to explain what had happened earlier. One of them just said "shh. It's okay. You are one of us." They didn't care. Because I'm a girl. I really am.

This vid is painfully relevant when you realize that the guy who put forward the anti-trans bills in oklahoma LITERALLY quoted jk rowling on the floor as he did so

"They struggle with same sex attraction" like wtf Joanne, I'm actually quite good at it.

"Yer a bigot, Joanne." "I'm a wot?" "A *bigot.* "

you gotta read the full deposition if you haven't. it's so good. the judge did an incredible job of walking the line between freedom of belief and expression in different groups, and ended it by perfectly navigating how destroying someone's dignity because of your beliefs isn't democratic and doesn't bode well for a business. maya was fired with good reason. she was mocking a bank director for months while working at a non-profit. like, holy fuck.

It might be a hot take but I disagree with Nathalie at 34:15... I wouldn't say she redistributed the rose petals, she rather increased the entropy of the bath by spreading the rose petals (rose petals representing energy, obviously) going from a heterogeneous distribution to an homogeneous one, where in the end she won't be able to extract any work from those petals anymore, forcing me to not do any work and just binge watch her videos.

"The Transexual Empire" just sounds like a cool ass place to live rather than a scary book title

"You're not less of a bigot because your bigotry has a tragic backstory" oof I felt that one

I still vehemently remember that in 5th grade, I went to the bathroom and I was wearing boyish looking sneakers. Since I had feet bigger than most girls my age, that's all that would fit. One of the teachers entered after me, looked at my shoes from outside of the stall, and started shouting at me to get out. I rushed to get out and once she saw me face-to-face, all she mustered was a surprised 'oh!' when I got out. Not one apology. This experience always comes to my mind when I think of TERFs because they are the same women who claim hyper-femininity is a sexist aesthetic for transgender women to go after; meanwhile, they police and treat women who don't fit the demure standard like animals.

Remember when everyone including her best friends riduculed Hermione for wanting to end (elf) slavery and then rowling started hint that Hermione was black all along. So a black girl literally gets riduculed for being agaist slavery by her best friends. How did we not see these problems earlier is beyond me.

The issue with "Joannes" is that they are upset they were never named "Jolene" and so they live their lives in fear and hatred of everything Dolly Parton stands for.

I love how you call her Joanne. It's like calling Voldemort Tom.

I find it really interesting that, in Harry Potter, Joanne advocates for people choosing, or asking for, their preferred house, if they really want to. Even if they would otherwise be sorted into a different one. That is the whole thing with Harry being sorted into Griffindor instead of Slytherin. He didn't want to go there. So in this case she advocated for the thought, that even if your "abilities" seem to group you with a certain people, it is your feelings that really matter. In many ways Harry was a Griffindor trapped in a Slytherins body, but his inner self is allowed to freely express itself. Then why isn't everybody else allowed to express themselves in whatever way they want, Joanne?

I cant believe this is the first ContraPoints video ive ever seen. I hope they're all this good. I was big nerd in highschool like captain of the debate team , and the section about reframing the conversation to trans liberation got me so excited. That is such a good way to focus a conversation on what is actually important instead of getting distracted by the bullshit.

My anxiety while watching Natalie hold her phone in the tub: 📈📈📉📈📈📈📉📈📉📈📈📈📈

“Hugely sympathetic” dumbledore asked calmly

The point about the “trans women are women” slogan and the idea of swapping it for “trans liberation now” is so on the money.

It’s sad that after 2 years this is still so current 😢 thanks for being smart, funny and explain it all perfectly.

“You’re not less of a bigot just because your bigotry has a tragic backstory” Content.

If terf is a slur then why haven’t I heard it in a Xbox party

This video is depressingly more relevant in 2023. The recent NYT, pro Joanne op-ed, sadly reinforces the fact writers, liberals, & the “Paper of Record” need to understand the nature of bigotry and transphobia specifically. That many continue to ignore the dog whistles in these seemingly innocuous statements is infuriating. Thank you Natalie for such a brilliant video ✌️

An hour in, you hit on exactly the point I needed to hear. I genuinely don't care about JK Rowling. I don't want to be researching her right now. However, I had to because my mom (who has up until this point been an incredibly progressive person) started getting really into JK Rowling for her views on gender and feminism. She's excited because Jo is calling out things my mom has feelings about but never been able to properly express. While I didn't know much, I had overheard just enough from under my rock for this to immediately raise several red flags. At the hour mark you really hit home as to why. My mom is also a domestic abuse survivor. Everything you quote here my mom has said to me practically verbatum (especially "TERF is a misogynistic slur designed to silence women." I caught her explaining that one to the guy who came to fix the stove the other day). She has recently said to me that all people born male (regardless of whether you transition later) are born with an instinctive predisposition and capacity for violence, one which people born female will never have, and one we must protect women from at all costs. That was a really painful thing to hear my mother say, especially since both my sister and I had just come out as non-binary. Especially since she embraced us with open arms and accepted us without debate. Especially since I know she knows better. I don't want to lose my mom down THAT rabbit hole.

hearing someone say "lesbophobia is different from homophobia" made me feel so valid and i really wasn't expecting that from this video

All roads lead back to the masterpiece that is "Cringe". Projection and perceived threats to one's own identity is often the driving force of this kind of obsession with other's identities.

It's very disappointing that in the years since this video was uploaded, J.K. Rowling has doubled, tripled, and quadrupled down on her bigotry.

"Joanne, JOANNE, this is madness Joanne" i lose it everytime

"We don't tell straight people to keep their lifestyle in the bedroom ... but we should." I SCREAMED

I’m a single mom and I have a special needs son. In the olden days when we still went out in public I had to take him to the women’s bathroom with me. People minded their own business seeing my son in the bathroom. It’s a place to pee, not a sacred female space.

Its nice to rewatch this video for no particular reason whatsoever and theres no coincidental timing.

"dark cabal of endocrinologists" is where I lost my sh.t laughing -- well done, the whole damn thing

"Understanding bigots is the best defense against becoming one yourself. Because when you dehumanize the villain you become unable to recognize the villain within." this.

Dr Freud: It comes from the trauma of boys discovering women dont have a penis Natalie: Im about to end this whole mans career.

As someone who only had a casual glance at JKRs controversia tweets and did not understand much about why people were so upset, this is one of my favourite videos you did because you laid it all out so well! I also showed it to a wonderful trans friend of mine who is not usually on youtube and was very happy to have such great representation on here.

Even though it's 2 years old and missing a lot of more recent events, this is still the best video on JKR imo. With her deep and empathetic analysis, Natalie somehow manages to do the impossible. I've recommended this video to so many people in the last few weeks and I really hope at least one of them takes the time to watch it and understand what all of this mess is actually about. Because sadly, with all the hateful discourse from my fellow leftists (and some trolls), many people that would probably be on our side if someone explained it to them rationally are now turning anti-woke, some buying the god damn controversial wizard game out of spite even though they don't even like HP and all the while most of the confused, upset liberals DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW AND WHY JKR IS TRANSPHOBIC it's driving me mad how frustratingly bad this whole boycotting campaign is going in terms of raising long-term acceptance of trans people ughhh

Lindsay Ellis: "I'm not contrapoints, this is as much effort as you're gonna get from me" Contra: "Who do you think I am, Lindsay Ellis?"

"but what if i'm a gryffindor trapped in a hufflepuff's body? what then joanne?" i mean, that's literally .... harry potter. he puts on the sorting hat and it's like "wow i can tell you're a slytherin" and he's like "gryffindor, actually". and guess who has the final say in that decision?

This video is such a comfort in a world that has such black and white takes that's more about commitment to your value that dehumanizes the opposition. I have frequently come back to this video especially given the up and coming release of Hogwarts Legacy. I dunno if you'll see this in 2023 but thank you.

It's so sad. I don't believe Rowling didn't watch this back when. The fact that she doubled down, and Natalie had to make a sequel...

“I’ve redistributed the petals” *Soviet national anthem plays* Natalie you’re a goddamn comic genius.

Cancel culture is when Joanne can't transphobic.

it’s been a few years since I have watched a ContraPoints video and I am so happy that I’ve come back now. I absolutely was obsessed with her content in 2018 but re watching now as a 26 “adult” I am absolutely blown away. her empathy…. so rare in circles now a days. you’ve earned yourself a life line fan

Great points, Rowling’s internalized sexism and concerns about sexual assault are definitely being directed at the wrong group of people. Why get pressed over pronouns when you can advocate for more protections for assault survivors? And sadly I’m sure that there are many trans people who can relate to Rowling’s experiences of PTSD, and yet she’s demonizing them.

Then Natalie stretched her hand over the bathwater, redistributed the petals, and led us on the path towards a socialist utopia. The power she has :'(

The 'Bathroom Problem' hit me hard. I'm a cisgender dark skinned Black woman with a tall athletic build. I've often been questioned, intimidated and outright refused entry to women's bathrooms. While my hair length may change- from shaved head to down-to-my-ass wig- I'm ALWAYS very femme and present all the traditionally female associated signifiers - long nails, make-up, big tits, dresses etc. And yet I am often 'accused' of 'just being a boy in a dress', or 'a tran*y or a drag queen. All of which is grouped as "Not a REAL Woman" It's so fucked up that gender is so heavily policed! I've been physically blocked from entering a woman's bathroom by a security guard because he didn't think I was a 'Real' woman. So obviously, I support trans women and trans men and enbies for the right to go pee. Long story short, I'm not trans or enbie but I understand the struggle of just being a human that has to pee sometimes. Trans rights are human rights. Civil rights are human rights. And btw I'm all about the Trans Liberation Now slogan.

Dude, I lost it at 'gods all powerful, but he could really use your help, Mary', said in literally the most sarcastic tone possible 😂😂

There's never been a better time to revisit this video

the infantilizing masculine/androgynous AFAB people thing hit hard for me. I'm not a confused poor little girl.

The neighbours probably called the cops after hearing me stand up and bellow at the screen during the 'pronouns are rohypnol' part. Being roofied is one of the most horrific violations imaginable, whereas the pure joy on my little brother's face when I asked how he'd feel if I started introducing him as 'he' and 'my brother' remains one of the most beautiful memories of my whole life. This is who she #StandsWith.

What I really love about the point with the sorting hat is that most people think you just get a house assigned, while the Main Character literally learns it's actually a choice he can make. Well

So many good points. A sentence that stands out for me is "[we] tend to forget that the end goal of a political movement is not 'validity', but _equality_ "

The way Natalie holds a phone and a book that close to bathwater is proof she has no fear

I've been told "the men's room is over there," so many times, I can't keep count. You're 100% right, it's about feminity, not chromosomes because I'm cis but butch.

6:45 “what if I’m a Gryffindor trapped in a hufflepuffs body” is shockingly close to how Harry was going to be assigned Slytherin by the sorting hat but chose to be Gryffindor. I’d personally love someone to read through Harry Potter and analyse the series as trans allegory

23:37 This hit me a little differently today, with the now more commonly-known history and intentions of Zionism. So it might be time to rethink how this was worded 😬

Isn’t Harry Potter literally about a Slytherin trapped in a Gryffindor’s body?

I feel like that entire "she" is safe and "he is a threat' rhetoric about pronouns is as dangerous to the straights as it is to the trans community. That assumption that girl is good boy is bad has got to be some fucking neurosis fuel for both sides of that.

I feel like you’ve healed me understand how complex the nature of being trans is, but also so many other issues I didn’t realize I didn’t understand. I just read a NYT article opinion piece in defense of JK and felt so disturbed by the heaping piles of bull shit I had to come watch this again

This response to Joanne's misguided and reckless posts is so eloquent and witty and intelligent that I am going to have to watch it several times. It is so illuminating and helpful and loving. I am writing about these issues in a novel that one might label as 'magic non-realism'. This one post/video is a huge resource. Thank you, thank you. THANKYOU!

Study whatever you please. Call yourself whatever you like. Perform any legal magic you're capable of. Live your best life regardless of your parentage. But force wizards out of their jobs for stating that magical ability is inheritable? #IStandWithSalazar

i personally resent the narrative that bigots are “haters” because in my experience, all the people that have been homophobic to me were friends, family, and supporters first.

Contrapoints:" LET ME SHOW YOU MY LOVE THE ONLY WAY I KNOW!" proceeds to waterboard him with milk 😂

As a cis woman, I also struggled with my identity. I had a massive internalized misogyny issue as a teenager that made me consider changing gender. Then, I overcame it, (transitioning in my case would have been stupid, I think I would have detransitioned), but I began to feel concerned that trans men might transition just because of internalized misogyny too, so I guess I was a little bit like JKR. Now, I came to a more objective vision I think. There are both people like me who hesitate to transition for the wrong reasons (internal struggles, internalized misogyny), and also people who transition for different reasons, who do not just want to « escape feminity », who definitely have a better life quality afterwards, and will never detransition. Everyone is different, makes choices for different reasons, and sometimes it’s valid. I would say that transitioning for wanting to be a man is not at all the same thing as transitioning for not wanting to be a woman. I want people who want to be men to feel accepted by society and supported when they transition if it is a solid and valid choice, that makes them feel closer to their identities, and that is not fueled at all by internalized misogyny. I also want teenage girls like me who do not really want to be men, but rather just want to escape the « shame » of being female to overcome their internalized misogyny, and feel proud and strong as women. Love you all ❤

"I have a friend who struggles with same-sex attraction." _Screams internally in ex-Mormon_

the six love languages: - word of affirmation - quality time - physical touch - pouring milk over naked lifeless torso with headshot affixed to face - acts of service - receiving gifts

I try to avoid any videos about this subject it's usually too upsetting, but your attitude actually made it bareable, thank you for being so authentic

Seems like a good time to revisit this one, no particular reason.

Sorting Hat: Slytherin Harry: but I feel like Gryffindor Sorting Hat: Facts don´t care about your feelings

You're a wizard Harry, but don't go getting any other strange ideas about what you are, that could be dangerous Harry. You're a Harry, Harry.

i love this video. i've seen it countless times and will watch it countless times more. everything said is so well structured and nuanced, and the jokes still make me laugh out loud despite knowing all of them. it's just the perfect video to watch when i don't know what to watch

Finally sat down and watched this and it was so well done! As a cis woman, I learned a lot, so thank you! The Harry Potter books were a huge part of my life in high school and college, and as you pointed out at the end of the video, it makes me so sad that this person who wrote books (that I have since realized do have their flaws) that at their core were about equality, is now such a vocal opponent of equality for a group of people who are so misunderstood by so many people. I can imagine a world where instead of being a TERF, she could have stood up for trans liberation, shone a light on trans issues, donated money to trans organizations, as a person who values equal rights. But here we are. About to go watch the other JK Rowling video and I'm a bit afraid as I've heard she's gotten worse.

"A lot of trans people, *the literate ones* , have called this book transphobic" no one throws shade like this anymore except Nathalie we stan

"When you reduce bigotry to a caricature of pure hatred, you obscure that bigotry is a deeply human problem. Sometimes people criticize me for empathizing with bigots, but I believe that understanding bigots is the best defense against becoming one yourself. Because when you dehumanize the villains, you become unable to recognize the villain within." NATALIE FOR PRESIDENT.

Just been binging your content since I first heard of you on Offline the other day, and I can’t get enough. This might be my favorite content on RU-vid, INCLUDING funny cat vids.

Gonna uh have to add holocaust denials to Joannes list. Good god

This is absolutely not the weirdest depiction of Daniel Radcliffe I’ve seen.

Buffalo Bill is a trender is by far the hottest take Natalie has had.

Coming here after three years, what was discussed in this video still holds. Thank you, Natalie, for talking about this !

Having the phone in the bathtub gave me a lot of anxiety.

Natalie you have the long slender hands of a real biological pianist.

"You're not less of a bigot because your bigotry has a tragic backstory. In fact, bigotry often has a tragic backstory." Omg, Natalie! ❤️

Just wanted to say, I listened to you on the JK podcast. When you got upset, I got upset, too 🤝 I’m sorry that someone we once admired has let us down. I’m also sorry you have to fight constantly for your own rights. I could listen to you argue your points for hours. You are so cogent and empathetic. If you need to take a break, it’s completely understandable. Thank you for all you’ve done.

This has nothing to do with the video but the background ambient violin music scratches my brain and I need more of it. Also the piano interludes are fantastic

“I don’t want to be a gay icon, I’m just stuck with you people!” - every actually gay icon 🤣🤣🤣

McGonagall came to me in a dream and said "you made me a cat, but you can't accept a catgirl??"

Very interesting, incitful, and well-spoken video with lots of fun points of levity. I've definitely been a bigot when it comes to understanding and empathizing with the trans community during these last few years, but I've been searching for great perspectives like this to help break it down in a way I can better understand. Thanks for this video and topic! I feel like I can become a little more understanding and improve myself to being less of a bigot in the future. I have to say I only found your channel because MatPat gave you an unplanned shoutout on a GTLive episode.