Why JK Rowling's Trans Views Are So Insidious 

For what it’s worth, you are one of the kindest, and most well reasoned human being I’ve heard in a long time. Much love to you Jessie. I’m so grateful I have your voice to listen to.

In the words of Monty Python ' where are you going to gestate the foetus, in a fucking box'. All this for .01 of the population.

You can't teach someone who isn't willing to learn. And JKR is _very_ set in her ways.

Yeah agreed. I think Rowling can change. I know people who can and who can’t and I think she can be redeemed.

As somebody who has had bigoted views in the past while internally understanding it was in the name of (biased) fairness, a lot of what I did was not to help, but to win arguments. A lot of Twitter mess is like that. She’s way too platformed, influential and intelligent to get much of a pass at all. After watching your last couple videos on her, I’m afraid I’ve come to a conclusion about her until she unequivocally starts supporting trans people instead of (incorrectly) pointing out how supporting one group may hurt another.

Comment for the algorithm. Trans women and cis women are different. And much of this stems from how we are treated differently in / by society. We are all different. Every single one of us humans. 🌈

Watching this in 2024 is just... I remember how we all hoped she would learn and apologise, but instead she's only getting worse every day. I will never understand how or why this happened.

I appreciate the charitable way you look this. The acknowledgement that someone can fall into damaging beliefs and behaviours while trying to do good is a difficult one to make. It's a justifiably polarizing issue; if what she says and does wasn't so hurtful to so many people and didn't contribute to the maintenance of systems of oppression that justify and increase the suffering of people it would be a relatively simple matter to have a calm and informed discussion. There's a tragedy in the ostracism from progressive circles that often follows these kind of outings. Changing a person's social circles encourages them to develop sympathy for their opinions, if the group someone moves to is frequented by people with harmful views there's a significant chance that their views will be impacted by those of their new fellows.

The whole idea of TERF makes me incredibly sad. And backs up the belief that the oppressed sometimes become the oppressors.

I disagree. She has the ability to educate herself, and understand that she is not helping. Persisting in being wrong can thus become a form of hatred. But I do take your meaning. I do think TERFs are a bit different from your typical bigot in that they don't so much fear trans people as pity them. Rather they have a not completely illegitimate fear that trans inclusivity might set back the women's movement, and this is the source of their vitriol. I have that fear too, but as the partner of a trans woman I suppose I can more easily see the solutions to that problem. I think that is the only way to change a TERF's mind, because that is what they care about most.

I don't think calling someone a TERF is helpful in anyway. For one, I don't think she's a radical feminist, nor does she see herself as a radical feminist. And yes, I believe that (mis-)labeling her like this, combined with the harassment, drove her more in the "underdog camp". Overall, I believe using this term has done more harm than good. For so many reasons. But for one, it brings together a group of people who probably don't have much in common. (For example, writing that "sex is real" is not transphobic per se. It can only be perceived as transphobic if you have knowledge of TERF ideology. So by labeling someone who believes that "sex is real" a TERF, may even give this person the idea that if she wants to stay true to her belief that "sex is real," she is automatically transphobic, or worse, she should be). And the word TERF brings feminism into the mix. For the uninformed, mislabeled person, this word might give the false impression that feminism and transgender rights are mutually exclusive. I think it would be much better to stick to simpler, descriptive words, such as transphobic or anti-transgender rights ... These words are also much more comparable to the word racism. TERF is too complex because of the complex ideology & history behind it.

I don't know. She followed the antisemitic transmisogist Magdalen Berns who rather infamously called trans women "blackface actors." She explicitly praised Berns in her essay. She called trans women MRAs in one of her threads. Her declaration of love and support for trans people with her acknowledgement of violence against trans women was prelude to her statement that her abusive ex meant trans women must be kept out of women's spaces. I've seen a lot of leaks from private terf groups, groups that Rowling may have joined. They float about violence against trans women and openly fantasize about the extermination of trans women. Please don't try to rehabilitate Rowling. She's made her views very clear and they're not based on kindness any more than the passage of Section 28 was genuinely for the protection of any children. I understand wanting to see her as a good person but right now she's not do I g things good people do. She probably thinks she's doing good things but Magdalen Berns said she was good too after claiming trans people were created and funded by George Soros.

Like I really do like watching your videos were you break things down. They really help me figure out how to feel about things.

I would say something trite, like: "she's entitled to her opinion," except that she is totally not entitled to her opinion because she is not a trans person, the parent of a trans child, and obviously not friends with any trans people. She's not a scientist, not a therapist. She's a writer, a successful one who became famous. This does not qualify her to speak on this topic. She's ignorant, arrogant, and totally out of line. She reminds me of Anita Bryant. I hope she finds some empathy and becomes more enlightened, and will find the character to admit she was wrong.

This was one of the most heartfelt videos I have seen on this subject, and I can only applaud and aspire to your example Jessie Gender, to be firm in my convictions but also open to civil dialogue and discussion with those who do not share them, be it in the realm of social issues, political matters, or whether or not people can enjoy both Discovery/New Trek and Orville/Classic Trek and recognise them both for their strengths and weaknesses. It is so easy and downright tempting to fall into the trap of a flame-war mentality, so thank you for being a voice for sanity and moderation. As someone who is not trans, or a woman, but who maintains a close friendship with a transwoman, I don't really feel qualified to speak for either group other than hope (as I think is the animating hope of this video), that a dialogue can be found between those who take opposite sides on this subject, a dialogue that brings about the most good for the most people, without compromising the moral and human right for trans individuals to be recognised and treated as the individuals they are and by the genders that they identify. What I can do is speak as a man who also at one point in time was also pretty good friends with a transman (who has since moved away from the university town in which I live - since which our contact has sadly trailed off). His reassignment surgery and therapy was actually so flawless that I remained unaware that he was trans for a good few months after we began hanging out. But when that realisation came, it did not change things for me (something I was glad to realise) - he remained a man in my eyes. He might not have been physically sexed the same way as me at birth, but he identified as male and so I was happy to accomodate him as such. I hope the same can be made true for all trans individuals. However, I also recognise that transmen and their experiences do not map 100% to the experiences of transwomen in a patriarchial society that is still struggling with the basic right that women as a whole be considered full and equal members of said society. Hence why I don't feel qualified to speak or form arguments outside of repeating my own experiences and thoughts. But I truly hope that I am indeed an ally to trans individuals (and indeed to everyone facing injustice, regardless of whom they are or where they are from), and can work to improve myself as an open-minded person one willing to listen and to learn from those in need and to provide what support and help I can. Live Long And Prosper \\V//

People and groups did offer to have conversations with her. She refused.

This is very well done. I wrote an article for Vocal.Media recently titled "I'm Divorcing J.K. Rowling, and I'm Keeping The Kids", where I spoke about my history as a Harry Potter fan, how her work and her struggle with depression and trauma resonated with me, as well as the things she said about the trans community. In short, I still love the books, they're like family I hold memories with that I'd never want to erase for a second. As far as I'm concerned, those books (the kids) she gave up the second she made those statements. I also said from one writer and one woman to another, I still love J.K. Rowling, but I stand with my brothers and sisters within the trans community and will ALWAYS fight for their rights and fight for them to be given the respect they DESERVE. So I'm divorcing her and keeping the kids, the stories. And hope that she can one day come to a place where she would be willing to open her mind and heart about these issues from the other side and realize how it's broken a lot of hearts. I feel sorry for her. Honestly. In that same breath, Jessie, I adore you and the work you do on your channel. I am a cis gender woman, a sex positive feminist, and I stand with YOU.

Her ego is so bloated, she can't accept that she's fundamentally wrong about something. This is the kind of person who'd rather burn all the bridges, alienate everyone, and dig her own professional grave rather than admit that she made a huge mistake and that her views were incorrect. I think most of us have met someone like this in real life at some point.

I think sometimes we can get stuck in our own problems, and if we take a wider view we can see how often our problems are connected

man, you're one of the most compassionate people I've ever seen. On every video of yours I've watched, you never fail to consider other perspectives in such a compassionate way that's so refreshing. Fantastic video!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this issue. You helped me better understand it

I like what you say about self awareness, and I thought it was important to make the distinction between online culture, in-person culture, and nuance.

I have started watching videos like this and reading about the trans culture only after the JKR gate. And most of the voices I have seen/ read are super reasonable and friendly and rational. I can imagine how exhausting it must be to explain things like one's existence constantly. I think trans community is so gracious and graceful to cis people- that it sounds like a wilful ignorance not to engage with them when one is talking about gender.

When someone (in this case JKR) says something problematic or potentially unpopular about a group of people (in this case trans ppl) and then those people go out of their way to explain what that first person said was problematic and why (like yourself, Jessie as well as thousands of others) the last thing that first person should do is double down on their original position without hearing the explanation. This is effectively what JK did. She had a bad take on an issue and the biggest problem I have with her now is that I'm disappointed by how she has reacted to the criticism - and I'm not talking about the insults and "cancelling" - I mean real constructive breakdowns. She ignored the people she claimed to be in favour of and that speaks volumes.

Jessie, have you considered inviting Rowling to an online conversation? First we will see if she even accepts, second how open she is to critical thinking and compromise.

I think much of what you said was wrong here but I do agree with the main point. Using inflammatory words and attacking her isn't going to win her over. People have every right to call her what they want, but it's worth questioning motives. These attacks won't be particularly productive and they will induce a hostile mindset, reinforcing opposing beliefs. JK Rowling's intentions: I think it's blindingly obvious that she means well. I'm surprised you felt the need to say this. She's has a rich history of advocating for minority rights. She's realized that any movement can become too extreme and has drawn attention to areas she finds to be counterproductive to women's rights. I'm on the fence as to whether she's developed some genuine anti trans feelings through association with the backlash she's received but I fully believe she makes a conscious effort to correct for this bias. Trans women are not women: Can someone point me to the part of her essay that states / implies this? I don't think she has said this? Perhaps the criticism wasn't aimed specifically at her but if that's true, the video never explains why "her" views are insidious. Whether a trans women is a woman is a semantic discussion more than anything because it's completely dependent on what someone considers to be a woman. A better question to ask is what rights should they share with women? Or what do they need to do to qualify for these rights? Should someone be able to identify as a gender differing from their biological sex? For sure. Should a biological male be able to compete in female boxing by simply claiming to be female. Obviously not. Is it possible to have productive conversations? I can answer that with a resounding yes. Many people do this all the time. If you find it difficult to engage in them without getting upset I'm afraid the only solution is to become more emotionally robust - and that's not easy. This comes with exposure to difficult ideas and practice engaging, but it's a challenge. Cancel culture: I agree that JK Rowling hasn't been cancelled successfully but this doesn't mean cancel culture is a good thing! It's still a bad idea for the reasons you mentioned. A bad idea is still a bad idea when it's executed poorly. It could be more successful (or damaging) next time. I agree that it's not infringing on her freedom of speech. She can still say whatever she want legally. I also wholeheartedly agree that open discussion about these topics, in which people are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them is massively important. Exposure to opposing ideas and openness to learning (from both sides) is a vital element in making progress. I know this has been long but I hope some of you do read this and I'd like to hear your comments.

11:01😭

That letter has been utterly derailed by JK and other controversial figures signing it. There are people in the letter that have been almost killed for their opinions. Like attempted assassinations

Hi Jessie! I hope you're doing well and that you're healthy. I was hoping I could ask you (and of course the community) some questions. As a young person in this world, I'm filled with a desire to understand and learn, without losing compassion. Your mentioning having constructive conversations is such a breath of fresh air. Some members of the left and right seem to have tunnel vision when it comes to the world. I apologise if some of my questions seem silly or even offensive, I really don't mean for them to be, I really just want to know and understand. 1. You mentioned that trans women and cis women are, in fact different, but are both women. What is your defenition of "man" and "woman". 2. You mentioned respecting trans- women as women would benefit trans and cis women alike. How would it benefit cis women? 3. An opposing argument I've heard in regards to pronoun preference and laws (lot of halabaloo in Canada where you could earn quite a substantial fine for misgengering someone) is that there is a difference between having things you're not allowed to say (racist remarks, denying the holocaust) and things you're obligated to say (someone's preferred pronoun). People seem to have an issue with the latter, what are your thoughts on this? 4. Not a question, but your willingness to productively discuss and debate is wonderful. I refer to your discussing cancel culture. 5. I agree that JK Rowling hasn't been cancelled, but there have been far less powerful people who have. The lady who started all this JK Rowling business, for Maya Forstater. Another good example is RU-vid channels being demonetized and removed. Do you think this is fair? Thank you for your time and the video!

Hi, I'm new to the channel here, and I super appreciate the fact that you believe in the power of mature, nuanced conversation where people are allowed to make mistakes and learn. Culture right now seems so polarized and I feel like expressing that your opinions contain caveats or variations from the mainstream immediately means you are shot down. I'm very much a liberal, but not on the radical left, and I feel constantly alienated when people assume that because my opinion is not a carbon copy of theirs, that I'm a shitty person. Thank you for expressing the importance of empathy and openness.

That false premise makes no sense. Daisies and roses are different but they’re both still flowers.

I really enjoy this video because by starting a new dialogue about how to better communicate with our opposition, we will be able to progress as a whole instead of taking the shortcut by cancelling or ignoring them. I hope you continue making these types of videos.

If trans women are in fact women... what's with all the hormones and the surgeries and the policing of people's language? If you really are what you say you are, all you should have to do, is exist.

Love this channel and thinking out things but the more I watch, the more I notice how beautiful Jessie is both in body and soul ❤️

I totally agree, the way to change someone's mind is not to sling insults. I think call out/cancel culture is becoming more a way for individuals to cling to a sense of personal morality in a horrible world than it is about making actual change. The "left" are currently fighting among each other over identity politics while the system that feeds off these divisions goes on with business as usual. Call out/cancel is not a viable action for change and in many ways is counter productive as those minds who we need to change become further glued to their opposing ideology.

I see your point-- JKR has donated huge amounts to charity, enough to bump her down significantly in wealth, and you'd think this would make her reachable. But there's also something very rigid and judgmental about her. She's obviously confused by fans who persist in liking Draco, because in her mind he's just "an @$$hole", and no one should sympathize with him. She defends Hermione's permanent disfigurement of Marietta Edgecombe on the grounds that Marietta deserved it. She also insisted on recasting Pansy Parkinson several times because none of the actresses cast were ugly enough to suit her, and as representative of "all the girls who bullied me", JKR didn't want Pansy portrayed in anything resembling a positive light. Mind you, given how hot under the collar has gotten over this TERF criticism, it's possible that the "bullying" Rowling received involved getting criticized for her spitefulness to others. TL;DR-- I agree that JKR is potentially redeemable, and we should definitely try to reason with her if we can. But I also think we should be aware that Rowling isn't too apt to revise her prejudices when confronted. Just sayin'. Edit-- Right after posting this, I watched this video that was in my recs. Case closed. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cAf8DXK4iTI.html

I think you are pointing to an important point with this video. At least, I think it is important, and while I have no clear solution, I think it's helpful to put the problem in focus. The problem, to me, is how to have a constructive discussion on the internet. About anything, really - or at least anything that is somehow intertwined with politics and thus people's lives. If a discussion is to move anything forward - our understanding of things or the understanding and tolerance between people - I think it has to be able to preserve nuance. And nuance is the first victim when some matter is boiled down to an issue of "either you're with us or you're against us". Faced with ultimatums like that and no explanation and education the uneducated and doubting and closeted bigots will probably decline to join the cause, any cause. (Even if that cause to you is a simple question of human rights.) But things get complicated by all the dog-whistles and crypto-speak that sometimes permeates some discussions. And concern-trolling and what-not. You have to determine whether someone is a good-faith actor and thus whether they are worth having a nuanced discussion with. My thoughts on this are in their infancy, so I have no clear solution as I said. But I am making time to discuss offline with friends of mine who have professed support for J. K. Rowling out of sympathy for her misguided concern (if not outright concern-trolling) for trans people. Because I think minds can more easily be expanded and educated in contexts of friendship. And while I think they are wrong, I'm willing to try to understand why they think what they think.

This is a great video. I think you hit a lot of good points. Cancel culture won't hurt someone like her. It does hurt those without such levels of power.

come to your channel for the star trek stayed for the great videos!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've been following this story for the last month or whatever it's been and you are the FIRST Rowling critic I've found who is willing to be fair to her point of view and not maliciously attack her. Everything you said is what I've been thinking all along, and have been afraid to say for fear of being attacked. You missed one important angle- you were talking about the importance of treating such cases fairly in order to not push the offenders away. It's also important to do so to not push sympathizers away! Maybe more so because there are so many more people who can be positively affected. Like Rowling, I'm a progressive who truly wants what's best for everybody. I'm still struggling to completely wrap my head around the trans perspective, and I'm willing to have my instincts be proven wrong. So I sympathize with basically everything Rowling has said. But when she is attacked for kindly and calmly voicing her views, I feel like my views will only be met with attack. You're the only person I've heard willing to have the discussion fairly, with the same level of politeness and understanding she, and myself by proxy, are trying to engage with. I'd love if you could point me to others with a perspective like yours. Thank you, and I hope you follow up more on this.

I would HOPE that she's reachable, but I don't see much of a chance. She's shut herself off. Turning off replies when she shared her essay on Twitter was the first sign of that. No one who is willing to listen publishes something they know is inflammatory without allowing the public to have their say. That's what people do when they know they're wrong and they just don't care. Politicians have had to be told by judges that they can't do that on social media accounts where they conduct government business because it violates the First Amendment right to dissenting speech, and the two most prominent examples are a local government official in Virginia... and Donald Trump. She Who Shall Not Be Named is obviously not beholden to that standard; she's not a government official, but as I've had to repeat to people in my county numerous times (because we have a well-entrenched Good Ol' Boy network here), just because it's legal doesn't mean it's ethical, and ethics are what REALLY matter. She's behaving unethically. She shows no sign of changing course any time soon. On top of that, the only stories I've heard about former TERFs have been about those people who fell into it, not really knowing what it's about, but agreeing with the surface arguments, then seeing the deeper hatred and realizing they had to get out. SHE is further along than that. She's gone deeper and she agrees with what she's found. She's citing the classic talking points and claiming to be victimized by the mere existence of trans people. If there IS any recovering from that point, I have yet to see it. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not holding my breath. Sorry to be so negative about it, but in my opinion, it's time to simply reject her altogether. "Cancel culture," in the sense that the term is abused today, has become practically meaningless, and I don't see the problems occurring that its vehement opponents raise. On the contrary, I think most of us are wary of rushing to judgment. But in this case, she's shown us who she is. Repeatedly. This is no rush. This is her reckoning with reality.

you’re a very clever young woman Jessie💕👏🙏

I don’t think Rowling could ever change her mind, we should just give up with her. No more supporting her in anyway, Merchandise or new material from Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Robert Galbraith should be avoided. If this is the hill she is willing to die on let her die on it

I would like to say I came here to say something intelligent about this very interesting video. But mostly I just want to tell you HOW MUCH I love that shirt 🥰. Love to know where it came from 😉

Hey Jessie! Thank you for that very thoughtful video. I totally agreee with your main points. I agree that pushing her away just reaffirms Rowlings in her beliefs. Her retracting will reaffirm people in their anger and the belief that Rowling is acting out of hate for trans people. It's a vicious circle. I think the only way to get out of the circle is for one side to stop pushing and hurting the other. Listening, showing empathy (like you already suggest). Try to understand the others side by the principle of charity - as you actually do in this video - mark out the territories where one actually agrees (not triumphantly though, as if to show that the other is ignorant of the agreement) and then just as clearly stand ones ground about the disagreements and give ones reasons for those. Only then conversation can aim at understanding. And only in understanding can we find solutions that are viable. Also, this is better done in a environment where both parties don't have to fear a backlash for revising their positions. The internet is vicious in that regard and tends to go for headlines like "X finally caves in!" disincentivising a change of mind, where positive incentivising would be needed. We need a culture that doesn't shit on the one who is willing to learn and change through a debate. I don't know whether that is possible on the internet, though. Humans arguably didn't evolve for this kind of communication, but then again humans evolved to adapt to wildly different environments. So, there is maybe hope.

A part of this that really irritates me is that she is someone who has so much privilege and an ability to really educate herself and that instead of doing that work she she seems to have founded something that sounds reasonable to her and is just doubling down. And that she is choosing to do it during a pandemic.

0:29 Actually that's the worse kind of approach: Trying to help. Here's what Alan Watts says about HELPING ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fqqE1BLvISI.html

I think that unfortunately JK Rowling is firmly entrenched in her beliefs, it's a nice idea that she could come around to reason but i think that's fantasy. For me the proof os in the fact that she only after books were written allowed for any representation and let's not forget they weren't written in a time of repression. One could argue that maybe at time of first two instalments it would've been accepted more without Lgbtq representation. But later on? It's all about sales and keeping brand alive without actually changing (in concrete way) the Potter universe.

You made a really good point here. The absence of nuance in our discussions (offline and online, but especially online), this black-and-white thinking is what makes this whole conversation - ANY conversation, really - so damn difficult. For me, it's strange to see academia be overtaken by such toxicity... academia should enable healthy discourse and help us all live better lives, not the opposite... Since all those TERFs seem to be so in love with biology, I gotta say this: Personally, I never had much of an opinion on trans people... but what piqued my interest even before I found you was Mailab's video on the science behind transgender, where she basically takes a look at the research surrounding the "transgender brain". Sadly, it's only available in German. While the results are still inconclusive (at least that was the case in 2018), she says that there are indeed differences between the brains of cis people and trans people. And there are signs that the brains of trans people may have characteristics usually associated with the gender they identify with, rather than the gender they got assigned at birth. But this is a huuuuuge oversimplification on my part, I'm sure. I know the brain isn't the only thing that makes us who we are, but it's a very big part, so for me personally, this totally changed my perspective and really got me interested in the whole gender identity issue. Maybe things would have been different if I had read TERF stuff first... I hope not.

It’s funny becuse she was part of the woke brigade and doing these actions herself I see this more as poetic justice she was weaponising her platform to attack ppl she disagreed with when it’s was something she is a woman who is a femanist and always be loyal to that and defend that but then to attack other ideinties and hate them but get mad when average ppl push back using sane tatics is beautiful

So I find the whole trans ideology very very confusing. Does anyone have a link or something to a video or document that lays the whole argument out? For example one of the things I don't understand is if gender is a social construct that has no relation to biological sex why do trans people physically change there appearance to match that of the biological sex associated with the gender they identify with?

Hi there. I heard you mention (at about 4:15) that agreeing on "trans-women are women" helps both trans and cis women. I've not heard that before, that it helps cis women. I'd appreciate hearing more on this point. Thanks.

I just love ya girl ♥️ Sometimes I fear trans-issues are weaponised by "allies" to attack opponents (or people deemed bad) rather than put forward the cause. Seeking to divide rather than persuade. Every time I listen to you, I see such a level-headed, well thought out assessment an argument, I mean you're one of the few people I've heard on the whole JK issue who concedes there are difference btw trans and cis women (like there are differences between women based on other intersections), and I'm just minded that we need more trans voices and less allies speaking on these issues. I think you're right JK has not been cancelled effectively because of the size of her platform. However (and please don't take this the wrong way) I don't think her signing the letter detracts from its message, that free speech is important to be protected (yours, mine and those we disagree with). I know cancel culture is currently attacking right leaning social issues, but usually censorship (which cancel culture is a form) is wielded by those in power, and if we look at history it's the left whose opinion are cancelled. I just think having fringe views shouldn't result in deplatforming or firing.

It is not possible to have this conversation if the other side is not willing to listen.

Nice analysis!

Does it show you're a Hufflepuff? Yes, it does! You're too good-natured for your own good, my dear Jessie! Of course you're right, but you're going to spend a whole lot of energy trying to bring this TERF to understand you. I hope it's worth it. From a fellow Ravenclaw.

Is there a term for men who don't subscribe to trans beliefs? I always see "terf", but I don't think I've seen a term for men?

Sophistry.

She is absolutely fine with her idea of what she thinks transpeople should be. What she is incensed by is that transgender people are defining themselves differently. She's the worst type of ignorant: the type that thinks they are enlightened.

Not being able to have nuanced conversations is absolutely detrimental to our society. This “Us against Them” mentality that has seeped into every facet of life is making it so we can’t communicate our own thoughts to others anymore. It’s honestly exhausting. I think Rowling is certainly more reachable than Trump, but unfortunately I agree with your assessment that any effort made to reach out to her and bring her closer to understanding, is likely to go completely sideways and end up with her burrowing back further into the hole she’s dug. It’s a tricky situation in today’s world, trying to talk logic and understanding with people. Your video was great as always! I find your level-headed approach quite a breath of fresh air compared to what I come across normally. 😅❤️

An interesting view on what TERF ideology does to the thoughts of people, and how talking to those people shouldn't necessarily be too tainted by what they have been told by other people and haven't been educated enough to refute all by themselves. I feel in a similar way towards believers of conspiracy "theories" (which have been called that by their ridiculers, so any hate on the term is definitely uncalled for). We have reason to understand that both of those ideologies are unhelpful, wrong, and anywhere from annoying to dangerous, but that doesn't mean that the best way to go about them is to try and either isolate or ridicule those Humans. As difficult as it can sometimes be to debate the average follower of those dogmas, and as much education that takes, that does not mean that you're debating with an idiot who is dragging society down through his own fault. It rather means that if you accept that your ideas about what are established credible sources and your ideas about morals aren't as universal as you would hope, it is pretty darn hard to swiftly refute these known-to-be-wrong arguments even for you, let alone for someone who doesn't actively have a big desire to refute them if they don't think they're wrong. And so it might be necessary to put more focus on explaining how and why certain sources and methods should be as credible to everyone as they are to the majority, rather than just shutting all wrong claims down through anonymous "fact checkers".

What ideology, I’m kind of lost? I’m so sorry. Do you have an entry level video?

I don't understand why her stance on trans folks is the hill she's decided to die on? Is there some reason she's speaking out as an "authority" on this particular topic? Is this endemic to the UK, or some other thing I'm not picking up on? Like you said, when someone "joins" the discussion without having much experience and depth in the topic, they may likely start doing more harm than good.

Sorry it took so long to watch this one. Jessie, you like to see the best in people, and in that way (and others) we are the same. I hope Rowling can come back from this, but it sounds like she’s entrenched herself.

Reasonable and nuanced

interestiing theory. cant say i know Rowling well enough to corroborate, (im not a fan of her writing so i have not studied her biographies in depth). but yes this could definitely be a way how some women are radicalized into TERFdom

Wow, it's funny that we live in a world where the reasonable claims such as men are not women is surprising to people. Also if transitioning actually helped the questioning individual the suicide rates would go down. They don't. And it's not society to blame for that. If you are interested get informed. A good website to start at is as follows. Https://waltheyer.com/

From my experience, a surprising amount of transphobes feel like they are giving up on a person if they respect that a person is trans, that using new pronouns and names is just playing along with something that is hurting the person they love, that transitioning will only lead to pain and they have to stop that.

Can't a person just be polite? Open to listening to the other person? Oops. Didn't mean to imply you were impolite, just talking about general conversations with JK.

EDIT: Because I am a child...Nice, I made the 69th upvote... I've engaged with multiple Trans-Exclusionists in the past month or so. My stance has been, majoritively, to stick to facts as much as I could, and not respond in anger. If I feel like my response might be too reactionary, I take a break, then go find it again later. I've gotten a few people whom I've been able to get them to the point where they're not ready to let go of the kool-aid just yet, but we're able to reach a common agreement, something I find easier to empathise with them on, and address it like, "you're right, this is something that needs to be looked into further, but what JKR said is also harmfulthingX and harmfulthingY, and using discreditedpaperZ, and that's what's hurting the Trans community most." Three of these people have thanked me for not resorting to anger and insults in speaking to them, and one of them even started following my Twitter. It's not much, but hopefully it will get them thinking. It's exhausting AF, but by bringing them to some middle ground and acknowledging a few things that need further study, it's easier to then say, "but JKR also said X, Y, & Z, which is what makes it most harmful. She uses some things that make sense, so that you don't question these other things." I know we can't expect everyone to have the same patience, especially where it affects people's very lives, but the more of us who are able to have that patience and Google-savvy (by which I mean ability to not only find but accurately judge the validity of information), hopefully we'll be able to get more of them thinking rather than blindly following TERF rhetoric. I am suspicious of JKR, though, because GLAAD reached out to speak to her off-the-record following the Forstater incident, and she declined. If she really cares, then why not take the opportunity to actually speak with these people IRL, instead of boo-hooing over Twitter backlash? If she tries to make some solid efforts in the future to speak with members of the community, I will be in full support. At the moment, however, I'm pretty in with the "she is not to be trusted" crowd.

dog whistle JK ROWLING!

I honestly feel like the 'trans' modifier to the term 'woman' is generally unnecessary outside of using it to find an empathetic social circle or in a medical context. Trans women are women and they ARE different from other women- because ALL women are different from each other. I am more likely to have things in common with an American 'trans' woman than I ever would with a cis woman from North Korea or Spain or France (insert country of choice). That we're all different or have different experiences isn't inherently wrong or bad to admit. It's a fact. The problem is when specific differences are singled out as a way to marginalize or target one group in order to turn other members of the group against them. And that's, unfortunately, the rabbit-hole we see people falling into.

Thanks for your opinion 😊

Thank you so much for articulating this so well. Sharing this far and wide. Keep up the good work, Jessie.

That's why I'm done with Harry Potter.

So... who's ready for a story about a trans student at Hogwarts? Written by a trans person as well...

👍👍👍👍

My thoughts exactly, girl. I get why she's clinging to this ideology, but it's terribly misguided. And, I do think that there's something inherently transphobic within JKR for her to fall into this rabbit hole in the first place.

TNG is the best Trek, Discovery is the best since DS9

I think all of her malice toward the trans community stems from her victimhood and that's something I can understand. I feel like I went through something similar a long time ago. Growing up a gay boy was so hard where I was from and I suffered so much. It was pure hell what I had to endure as a child and my victimhood followed me into adulthood. Years ago, though, when discussions about privilege started to come about it honestly blew my mind that anyone would have the gall to say I'm privileged in any capacity after what I had been through in my life, with homophobia. I saw women asking for their own spaces while calling out gay men for certain things and it made me feel excluded and turned on. It made me feel like the hell I'd been through suddenly didn't matter anymore and that nobody cared. It was all "WHAT ABOUT ME!" Every time I saw debates online about feminism it felt like a slight against me. Me me me! I eventually realized that I was making it all about myself and my victimization is what kept me from seeing the truth. That's something a lot of us do and we don't realize it. Privilege comes in all forms and nobody is exempt. Acknowledging our own privileges does not invalidate the oppression we've faced, it helps us to see the others who are oppressed in different ways that we aren't. The hardest thing about getting my own head out of my ass was disassociating myself from my victimhood. The whole time I felt that way I never said anything about it out loud or wrote anything online to anyone. I still feel it's my duty to apologize for being so selfish. JKR has been through a lot as a woman. I don't doubt that she hasn't faced traumatic misogyny and abuse at the hands of men, but that is no excuse for her refusing to open her mind, though, and I'm not asking anyone to give her a break. This is still all on her. I just think this is a possible explanation for why she's chosen this hill to die on. She thinks she's standing up for herself. She thinks she is being strong in the face of adversity when thousands of people are trying to "silence" her and "cut her down". Even though that isn't the case she believes it with all her heart and I think that's sad and most of all terrifying. How do you reason with someone who is convinced they are the underdog fighting for the rights of millions when the only thing she can hope to accomplish is the total oppression of trans people? Maybe I'm projecting. Maybe I'm overreacting. Either way, she is a complete TERF and she doesn't even know it.

Let me help you dear as you are a youtuber that is entering into the world of activism in the communications age. Here is organizing strategy 101. Always be thinking of individuals on a 5 point likert scale: 1 fighting on your side, 2. supporting but not actively fighting, 3. neutral, 4. supporting your opposition, and 5. The active opposition. You will never move a 5 to a 1. but you can get a 5 to a 4, a 4 to a 3, a 3 to a 2, a 2 to a 1. If you can get a 5 and a 4 to at least a 3 you are making exponential progress and that is the goal. Get it?

It’s very difficult to hear the shouts of people in the streets when you’re sitting at the top of a skyscraper.

Odd theory here; what if JKR just wants out. Like, what if she's being so controversial as a deliberate choice to get WB to drop her - thus freeing her from the responsibility of completing any obligations to the WW she has. I mean Johnny was a VERY controversial choice at the time of HIS casting, especially considering her preferential nature involving Eurofolk casting. Maybe her toxicity is just her trying to get fired.

I'm from KY, most people here believe their bigoted racist crap isn't bigoted and racist. They believe what they are doing is best for the country and comes from a place of love not hate. We can't think of people as merely "good" or "evil", we have to acknowledge ALL humans' humanity before we can start to figure out how to share this small blue dot peacefully.

It shouldn't be hard to engage the "cancel culture" argument and show that Rowling, as the example being trotted out here, is fine. That clearly it can't be such a big problem if this is how bad it really is if Rowling has been "cancelled". Whether logic is convincing depends on your audience. Remember, on the internet, your audience is bigger than the person you are responding to.

I think JK rowling could definitely change and grow. honestly there are alot of people who get caught up in those reasonable sounding points. Heck my own sister honestly believes some of those issues and not because JK said it but because lots of people bring up similar convincing stuff on other platforms but my sister definitly isnt transphobic and she doesnt have any views of legislation. and she's changing her views slowly as she gets more information. its just J.K. is one of the people who got misinformed who has a really big platform. I think most in her situation would eventually find out they were misinformed or the issues on their own through more research but in private and be able to adjust their thoughts accordingly without much judgment. The problem is J.K. can't do that because of how public she is. I dont agree with calling her a TERF. I dont think labling her is helpful to be honest. its like calling someone racist. its SUPPOUSED to be used to let us know they share certain beliefs that need to be adressed but it makes people feel like they are stuck in a label and people will keep pushing them back into that label when ever they even think about growing out of it. and I don't think J.K. is a radical feminist. people definitly have a right to be hurt or angry at her personally...especially since she does have alot of influence....but on the other hand its just pushing away someone who we all respected to a certain degree rather than helping her change. though of course its a loud minority that are attacking and threatening her the most and others want to educate her and shouldnt HAVE to work to educate her. its wouldt be good to ignore the damage J.K. could be doing without her realizing it with her platform and because she needs to be aware that there is a problem that she needs to adress. but on the other hand J.K. is on the defensive and hurting so it'll be hard to get her from digging in her heals until things calm down a bit.... its easier to simplify J.K. rowling as bad because she hurt people's feelings for believing this stuff because people wanted to believe she wouldnt get caught in that trap. and lashing out at her is easier to do whe you think she doesnt care at all or i angst you or is fully bad. but thats also dismissed the good she HAS done and she has done alot of good. but getting her out of this defensive position is going to be hard. even if she realizes the issues in her stance and changes her mind and apologizes admitting she was wrong some people arent going to let this go. they are still going to attack her with it most likly even if she does change for the better. even if she is sincere people are going to say she isnt. or that she is just saying it to not be in trouble any more. I think the best route is t flood her feed with defense and explain. if she sees more people defending her and saying they believe she cares and isnt a bad person to drown out the threats and stuff that could get her to be less defensive. but they cant be defense that back up her not great views. so maybe the defend and pity approach. a defense of her character and that she means well while stating how she got misinformed or the issues in her reasonings. but defending the faith the J.K. is a good person and that she can change. that we want her to change. we dont actually want her canceled. after all cancellling her i not going to work and we dont actually WANT that. J.K. going away isnt going to change that she hurt people who hadalot of faith in her.....but if she changes and does BETTER. THATS when the healing will begin. plus if she changes her views and understands the problems then she'll be the most well known proof that people CAN improve and change their opinions and everyone who saw stuff the way she does will have someone to go on the journey with and change their views for the better as well. and then the trans community will have a very strong allie on their side and living proof that people who were against they can change and be for them. but its going to be hard to get past the anger hurt phase for people. and she's a grown ass adult and a lady. honestly we expect better from ladies. guys(sorry dudes out there) we kindof expect to be dumb or make mistakes and to not research properly so its easier to think a guy doesnt know any better compared to a lady and make excuses to give the dude time to learn better later. but J.K. is really really influential so the full on scolding thing ad trying to cancel her isnt going to work so people I think are going to need to do the defend her as a person thing and that she means well. while using the pity vibe while feeding her the correct information. hide the carrots in the stew method. as J.K. is good feminist over all its going to get to her thats lots of people defending her sees her a misinformed because she will see them as allies. so then she will WANT to live up to their expectations and research and inform herself better. as long as she feels defended and not attacked then people can then feed her the good information so it will stop the cycle of her listening to the ones who agree with the bad views since it would mean the misinformed people arent the only ones defending her anymore. but yeah...I dont think calling her a terf is in any way going to help. because the terf takes the nuance off the table automatically even if its useful in the short term so you dont have to keep explaining over and over again certain views....I hink explaining it in the long for is actually useful because its easier to adjust yourself and your believes when there is alot of detail in it. you dont get as much wiggle room when you have labels. Its why some people ted to have to change labels at times even though technically they havent changed much. but a lbel can change how you interret someone. and I live in america. changing peoples opinions is HARD and people will align themselves with people they dont even agree with if they feel like others are attacking them for associaition. and there have been majour shifts in public opinion. Heck people see LGBTQ stuff as positive to defend now for the majority even people who dont really understand all the details or issues personally. and we couldnt just throw out all the rascist people. we had to change their minds. though what we really needed was to great rules and laws and have them be strictly followed to get people out of the bad habits people go into when rasism was a normally thing to act on or feel. ifts like sugar...if you go cold turkey on it long enough you wont be craving it anymore. if we get the laws and mentalities about what is actually good for trans people then eventually people will just accept it and not fight it anymore. if a supreme court judge was able to change his mind about segregation despite believing it was nessacary for years and vote to abolish it then I think J.K. isn't irreemable. but GOD. she can do so much damage right now so getting her properly informed is going to be hard when he defenses are still high. though considering alot the plot issues in fantastic beasts I really think people should know J.K. needs a while to do proper research....like she WROTE those timelines and made mistakes.

Well said

Yeah there is really nothing more incidious than a "true believer". She has hurt a lot of her young trans fans a lot more than a lot of other people could. Couldn't she just appreciate them as her fans? It seems cruel that she can't. She's said some terribly mean comments--as much as she complains of being "cancelled". I loved your comments--on cancel culture. That said, the right's concept of "cancel culture" is disingenous. They are not at all concerned about the idea of cancelling out the rights that trans people have. In fact they very much want this. Yes, I wish that someone she trusted could talk to her too. (Also I have thought about the cause she had before "Amnesty International" and how the need is so much there and her voice and money actually would help someone.)

Hi. I Don't know if you heard about this, but I live in Hungary and they passed a Bill (i'm not sure if this is the right term,feel free to correct me) that prevents people from changing their assigned gender. I'm cis but it makes me sooooo angry and disappointed. Though, it wasn't a surprise really, we're are decades Behind the US in acceptance and a Big percent of people are homophobes and transphobes. I'm also pansexual and i'm not gona tell my parents anytime soon, because they are homophobes too.

I guess it is hard for people to accept they may not be able to get through to her.

I think that your point about the lack of nuance is on point. I find a lot of intensified polarization comes from structural influences, and I think Facebook in particular is designed for escalation, it's algorithms reward arguing and I think it's policies are conservative when it comes to moderation. I thought you were very balenced and nuanced and it was refreshing.

Seems like a lot of the twitter public figure trans obsessions stem from like. Ppl getting their ego hurt when being criticised and choosing to double down

Your insights on this are also useful for many different conversations that we must have right now. Thank you.

awesome video. you're a better person than me, i rarely have the patience.

Great Video Jessie, excellent breakdown of a very complicated issue!

You are a very kind and optimistic person, but I don't think JK Rowling can be saved. She's smart and she knows what she's doing. She picked her pseudonym as a dog whistle. She deliberately conflates sex and gender, even though she's obviously smart enough to know the difference. She has chosen to be specifically mean and nasty (such as with the "Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?" comment), rather than just debating the "merits" of her supposed argument. Daniel Radcliffe has spoken out against Rowling's hatred, and I have to believe that he must have talked to her privately as well. I don't see how he possibly wouldn't have tried to change her mind, given that he supports the Trevor Project, and he knows how much harm she's doing to trans people. Rowling's claim "I know and love trans people" sounds exactly like the age-old claim of "I have black friends" or "I have Jewish friends" or whatever. If she actually had trans friends, and if her mind could be changed, then her trans friends would have changed her mind already. The claim "I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans" is laughable and obviously disingenuous, since she's actively encouraging the discrimination.

She's being annoying

I think that you have a point about Social media vs. In person belief and nuance. Maybe the work in any ISM (Race, Gender,Sexuality) online should be about middle ground( not compromise) and not the extreme ends. It's easy to give quick phrases of either/ or rather than all the grades; but words are important and people get caught up arguing.

Great video, and good for you for giving her the benefit of the doubt. She has done nothing to earn that, so you giving it to her is an act of grace. I don't know how we get to a more nuanced discourse, but I think one step is trying to resist the urge to think of things in a binary. The media and culture particularly like to present things as "both sides" as a shortcut to appearing balanced. Thus splitting everything into two halves, with us or against us. I don't know how we change that as a culture, but at least individually I try to remind myself that reality is more often than not a plurality or a spectrum.

You are amazing ... plus your a trekkie so bonus points you are a person I would like to get to know more about and hear your views and conversations. Keep up with your channel...its amazing