LONDON: “Harry Potter” author J. K. Rowling sparked outrage online from fans and members of the LGBT+ community again on Sunday after a string of tweets accused of being transphobic at a time when protests over inequality are raging globally.

The tweets came in response to an opinion piece on global development site Devex where Rowling took umbrage with the headline “creating a more equal post-Covid-19 world for people who menstruate”.

“‘People who menstruate’. I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” Rowling said late on Saturday. Critics pointed out Rowling’s views equated womanhood with menstruation while many trans men menstruate and many other women do not.

“You can write a whole magical world but can’t fathom that trans men exist? I haven’t had a period since 2017 - has my womanhood been paused until I can summon one?” said British author and relationship advice columnist Beth McColl.

Rowling, 54, said her comments were not intended to offend the trans community and only meant to highlight that “sex is real and has lived consequences”.

“I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans, Rowling wrote on Twitter.

“At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.” A spokesman for Rowling declined to add further comment.

The British author has come under fire for her views about the LGBT+ community in the past.

Last December she supported a woman who was fired for tweeting that people cannot alter their biological sex. She has also been criticised for adding a gay relationship to her “Harry Potter” series after the book was published.

In recent years debates between trans activists and feminists have raged over what it is to be a woman.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2020