JK Rowling says she and Stephen Fry were NEVER friends after he said Harry Potter author was ‘radicalised by TERFs'
AUTHOR JK Rowling has hit back at Sir Stephen Fry amid the pair's public trans row.
It comes after Fry, who has previously referred to the Harry Potter creator as a "friend of mine", called her out for her views on trans women.
4
4
The 67-year-old presenter, who narrates the popular Harry Potter audio books, turned his back on Rowling, 59, accusing her of being a "lost cause".
The comedian said: "She has been radicalised I fear and it may be she has been radicalised by TERFs.
"It is unhelpful and only hardens her and will only continue to harden her I am afraid.
"I am sorry because I always liked her company. I found her charming, funny and interesting.
"Then this thing happened and it completely altered the way she talks and engages with the world now.
"I am not saying that she not be called out when she says things that are really cruel, wrong and mocking.
"She seems to be a lost cause for us."
His words were then reposted on social media by barrister Jo Maugham - prompting a brutal response from the author.
But in response to the tweet, Rowling denied claims that the pair were close.
Posting on X, she said: "It is a great mistake to assume that everyone who claims to have been a friend of mine was ever considered a friend by me."
The author is no stranger to such comments and has long stood firm in the face of online pressure.
Rowling has come under fire for comments made in the past towards trans people.
PM backs JK Rowling in war with trans activists and says 'we should not criminalise people saying common sense things'
In 2020, the esteemed author slammed the growing trend of replacing "biological sex" with "gender identity".
Her stance, that declared "sex is real", led to death threats, but also moulded her into a figurehead for the "gender-critical" movement.
Activists accused her of transphobia in 2020 when replying to an article with the headline: "Opinion: Creating a more equal post Covid-19 world for people who menstruate."
She tweeted: "'People who menstruate'. I'm sure there used to be a word for those people.
"Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?"
Her remarks led to criticism from Potter actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, who ignored the fact her books had made them famous to launch a string of attacks.
It was Rowling's beloved group For Women Scotland which also launched a long-running legal battle with the Scottish government over how a "woman" was defined in Scottish law.
The Scottish government had argued people with gender recognition certificates (GRCs) should be protected from sex-based discrimination, meaning a transwoman would be considered a woman.
However, campaign group For Women Scotland claimed this only applied to people born as a female.
In April, the Supreme Court 's landmark judgement ruled that it was unanimously determined "sex is binary" and that female-only spaces must be protected on the basis of biology.
Hailing the landmark decision, Tory Leader Kemi Badenoch said: "Saying 'trans women are women' was never true in fact, and now isn't true in law either.
"This is a victory for all of the women who faced personal abuse or lost their jobs for stating the obvious.
"Women are women and men are men: you cannot change your biological sex."
4
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
30 minutes ago
- Reuters
UK flight takes British nationals out of Israel
LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - Britain said on Monday that a Royal Air Force flight carrying 63 British nationals and their dependents out of Israel had left Tel Aviv in the afternoon. "Today's flight will bring British nationals and their dependents safely back to the UK," foreign minister David Lammy said in a statement. Following the outbreak of the Iran-Israel conflict last week, Britain appealed to its nationals in the region to register their presence. Lammy said that 4,000 British citizens had registered their presence, of whom 15%-25% had indicated a preference to leave.
Telegraph
33 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Selina Scott's attack does not prove London has fallen
Last week Selina Scott, the former ITV News at Ten anchor, was assaulted and robbed in a busy area of central London. Scott said she was 'furious about the lack of police on our streets', as the attack happened in broad daylight in the West End. The Metropolitan Police quickly responded defending the number of officers on patrol – 'not just in uniform on foot, but also in plain clothes and in vehicles'. Scott's attack will be taken by some as further proof that 'London has fallen'. This phrase, usually posted online by people finger-wagging from outside the M25, has come to encompass a number of gripes about London – from crime rates in the capital to how many shops are run by immigrants. Matt Goodwin's assertion that London is 'so over', after a day of expensive pints, cancelled trains and people with accents, has been shared by others as proof that London is 'now in visible decline, with deteriorating standards and no real sense of identity or belonging'. Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner, but my hackles cannot help but rise. It's all getting a bit Brass Eye – Tory MPs tweeting about trains with graffiti and social commentators complaining that the UK's biggest urban area doesn't have more of a quiet, leafy feel to it. These critics have more in common with Sadiq Khan 's desire to pedestrianise the capital city into suburban hell than the average Londoner. If Robert Jenrick posts another video complaining about car boot sales I'm going to scream. Cities are full of life – none so full as London. They also attract extremes, which means along with the buzz and the beauty comes filth, chaos and even danger. The day London becomes more like Potters Bar is the day it truly has fallen. That all being said, the fact that Scott – a 74-year-old woman – was attacked in broad daylight and not even offered help to get home is not nothing. Rising crime, from the theft of phones and bicycles to serious assault and even murder, should not be a part of London's identity. So whose fault is it? The Met's response to Scott's assault is telling. There might well be a higher number of police officers being sent out to patrol the streets, but that doesn't mean that they're making a difference to public safety. Today, you would be more likely to get a police visit if you wrote something politically incorrect on X than if you were to jump a granny. At the risk of asking the armed wing of the state to find its bicep, it's true that the police seem unable or unwilling to do their job properly – a fact that's known and abused by those who want to get up to no good. The Met is capable of cracking heads when it wants to. No force is spared on Tommy Robinson supporters or lockdown critics. No police power is too big for the parents who misspoke on WhatsApp. Big cities always have their problems, but they're also always changing. Hackney's murder mile is now almost solely populated by middle-class hipsters on Lime bikes. From council bores strangling London nightlife by imposing noise controls and cancelling late licences to pearl-clutchers scared of busy tubes, many want to turn London into something it isn't. My home city hasn't quite fallen, but there seem to be a lot of people willing it to.
The Sun
33 minutes ago
- The Sun
Emmerdale's Bear Wolf in dramatic new storyline as Lisa Riley reveals shock developments for the Dingles
EMMERDALE'S Bear Wolf will find himself in a dramatic new storyline, Lisa Riley has revealed. In recent episodes of the hit ITV show, Lisa's character Mandy Dingle and partner Paddy, played by Dominic Brunt, have been voicing their concerns about Paddy's dad, Bear. 4 4 4 The couple have tried to help him - from arranging a doctor's appointment to giving him an old motorbike to restore, but he simply puts his strange behaviour down to 'being a pain in the bum.' Now, after an incident at the garage that saw Bear getting very frustrated with the bike, and an altercation with Kammy Hadiq, Emmerdale fans have begun to question whether Bear has a secret health condition. Dropping some hints about the storyline, Lisa Riley, 48, spoke to The Sun and said: 'Whatever's going on with Bear, it'll bring Mandy and Paddy closer together. 'Next week, people are going to see Paddy and Mandy getting their new home and it's all very exciting. And as new homeowners, they want to take advantage of it because they love each other and can't keep their hands off each other. 'It's their passion pad. They like to call it Paddy Towers. But Paddy is also very aware about mental health issues, so what does that mean for Bear moving forward? 'Is he a grumpy old man? Is he suffering from mental health issues? Will he have something severe as we go on? Of course, it's going to go off.' The talented actress, who will celebrate a huge 30 years on the show next month, also spoke about the Dingles and serial killer John Sugden being part of the family. 'Mandy loves John. She's very flirty with him, and she thinks he's great for Aaron. Lisa Riley opens up on the grief of losing her mum 'She thinks that he'll look after Aaron, yeah, and obviously with the viewers, it's so hilarious, honestly. 'When I'm in Waitrose, people go, 'Mandy, Mandy, be careful of that John' and I'm going, 'yeah, OK,' but how do you say it in a non-patronising way? 'I know as a viewer, but obviously Mandy loves him and doesn't see anything wrong with him and has no idea. And if Mandy does find out in so many months to come, oh God help him. 'I mean, her brick would come out - she has a brick in her bag, and you'd see the crazy side of Mandy if she had any inkling that John had something to do with Nate's death.' Lisa added: 'She's the Queen of the family, and you don't cross the Queen.' Away from her life portraying Mandy Dingle on hit soap Emmerdale, Lisa has been supporting Sue Ryder with their latest campaign. Lisa was incredibly close to her mum Cath, but sadly lost her to cancer in 2012. Now, Lisa has joined forces with their Back for a Moment campaign, to help bereaved people get the support they need. And in doing so, the star chatted to The Sun about her mum, and how she sometimes finds herself hiding behind her character Mandy, to disguise the pain of losing her. But Lisa says it's her Emmerdale cast mates who get her through those tougher times. She said: 'On the tough days, I do think Mandy Dingle has been a great person to hide behind. I do hide behind the bravado. 'Because there are some days where you want to sort of roll over on your pillow and cry. But I am so grateful to do what I love, and I am very lucky. 'I am guilty of pressing the bravado button, but I have my wonderful co-stars around me, including Dom - who plays Paddy - and the incredible Bradley Johnson, who plays my son. 'We're all so in tune with each other, they've got my back and I've got theirs, and honestly we're so lucky we do, because sometimes I watch my scenes back and think 'if only people knew what was really going on in my head.'' But the star said she recognises that, for some people, it's hard to find others to turn to when losing someone, especially as 88% of bereaved people feel alone in their grief. Lisa continued: 'There are thousands of people who need to know that Sue Ryder is there, and that they don't have to be by themselves. 'My dad was a bit in denial when my mum died, and that is what the campaign is there for.' Sue Ryder offers a range of free grief support, including an online bereavement community and in-person Grief Kind Spaces. Search 'Grief Deserves Better' or visit this website 4
