Elon Musk kicked the hornet’s nest again this week with a tweet about using the term “cis” that infuriated many transgender individuals and activists. Famed children’s author and “TERF” J.K. Rowling then jumped into the fray, agreeing with Elon and explaining why she is against the term.
The Twitter fight began with Elon’s response to James Esses, who said that he had been harassed for not thinking the term “cis” should be used. Esses said, “Yesterday, after posting a Tweet saying that I reject the word ‘cis’ and don’t wish to be called it, I receive a slew of messages from trans activists calling me “cissy” and telling me that I am ‘cis’ “whether or not I like it”. Just imagine if the roles were reversed.”
Responding, Elon used the opportunity to point out what Twitter’s harassment policy is and note that the term “cis,” presumably when used in the context in which Esses claimed it was used, is a slur and won’t be tolerated. He said, “Repeated, targeted harassment against any account will cause the harassing accounts to receive, at minimum, temporary suspensions. The words “cis” or “cisgender” are considered slurs on this platform.”
Repeated, targeted harassment against any account will cause the harassing accounts to receive, at minimum, temporary suspensions.
The words “cis” or “cisgender” are considered slurs on this platform.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 21, 2023
Rowling then entered the fray with a tweet that went viral, racking up nearly fifteen thousand views and thousands of comments and quote-tweets. In the tweet, Rowling said, “‘Cis’ is ideological language, signifying belief in the unfalsifiable concept of gender identity. You have a perfect right to believe in unprovable essences that may or may not match the sexed body, but the rest of us have a right to disagree, and to refuse to adopt your jargon.” Elon, responding, said, “Exactly.”
'Cis' is ideological language, signifying belief in the unfalsifiable concept of gender identity. You have a perfect right to believe in unprovable essences that may or may not match the sexed body, but the rest of us have a right to disagree, and to refuse to adopt your jargon.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 21, 2023
She also said, “Very strange, isn’t it?” in response to a tweet saying, “It’s so strange that outside of the ‘West’ no one is talking about cis, he/she, they/them, it/bit.”
Very strange, isn't it?
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 21, 2023
Rowling also said, “Just type ‘repent, heretic’. Fewer characters and it’ll have exactly the same effect on me” in response to a tweet attacking her for her tweet, saying, “Yes, you as a cis woman have every right to disagree with me, a cis man, and other cis women, along with trans men and trans women.”
Just type 'repent, heretic'. Fewer characters and it'll have exactly the same effect on me. pic.twitter.com/2tcjEklvdh
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 21, 2023
Rowling has long been outspoken on the issue, fighting against transgender ideology from a feminist perspective. Her pinned tweet, for example, says, “Men defining what a woman is, what women should and shouldn’t fear, what women should and shouldn’t say, what rights women should be fine with giving up and, of course, what constitutes ‘real’ misogyny: get a bloody mirror. That’s real misogyny, looking right back at you.”
In another tweet on the issue of trans laws, Rowling said that the current trans bathroom policies are, in her view, crazy. Particularly, she focused on the issue of sexual assault, writing, “Never forget: it’s far too unsafe for trans women to use men’s bathrooms/changing rooms, because they might get assaulted. However, it’s completely fine for any man who identifies as a woman to use women’s bathrooms/changing rooms, because rapists will rape women anyway.“
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