These are the most controversial things JK Rowling has ever said, as Harry Potter returns

HBO is bringing Harry Potter back to our screens, but the new series is arriving amid plenty of controversy surrounding the franchise’s original author, JK Rowling.

The first season of HBO’s new Harry Potter series will adapt Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and is officially set to premiere on 25th December.

Via HBO

While the upcoming series has already attracted attention over its casting and creative decisions, one of the biggest ongoing conversations around it remains Rowling herself.

The author has faced years of backlash over her public comments about transgender people, gender identity and biological sex. Her views have also led several major Harry Potter stars, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Eddie Redmayne, to publicly distance themselves from her views.

Here are some of the comments and controversies that have continued to fuel the debate around Rowling.

The “people who menstruate” tweet

‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?

Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate https://t.co/cVpZxG7gaA

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020

One of Rowling’s most infamous controversies began in June 2020, when she responded to an article that used the phrase “people who menstruate”. She sarcastically questioned why the phrase was being used, writing: “I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”

The tweet sparked widespread criticism, with many accusing Rowling of dismissing transgender men and non-binary people.

She later defended her position, arguing that removing the concept of biological sex makes it difficult to have meaningful conversations about the experiences of people who are biologically female.

Her views on trans healthcare

Not safe, I’m afraid. Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces.

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 10, 2024

Rowling has repeatedly spoken out against gender-transitioning healthcare, including treatment available to young people.

She has compared youth gender-transition care to a new form of conversion therapy and has also made strong statements about her refusal to use people’s preferred pronouns in certain circumstances.

At one point, Rowling said she would rather face a prison sentence than use a trans person’s preferred pronouns if she were legally required to do so. She has also addressed people who have detransitioned, telling activists and celebrities who have criticised her views to “save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners.”

Most Read

Celebrities are calling out Ariana Grande’s team for ‘absolutely appalling’ petal music video

The internet never forgets: The biggest male celeb nude leaks ever, and how they responded

Love Island’s over, so here’s every 2026 couple’s relationship status and who’s already split

Her comments about Imane Khelif

The idea that those objecting to a male punching a female in the name of sport are objecting because they believe Khelif to be ‘trans’ is a joke. We object because we saw a male punching a female. https://t.co/KSAM5RCl1S

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 2, 2024

Rowling was also heavily criticised during the 2024 Paris Olympics after posting about Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.

Khelif, who was assigned female at birth, became the subject of a huge online debate surrounding her sex and eligibility to compete in women’s boxing. Rowling posted about Khelif while falsely characterising her as male or a trans woman and accused her of participating in violence against a female competitor.

The comments about asexuality

Rowling also faced backlash in April 2025 after mocking International Asexuality Day on X, formerly known as Twitter.

She wrote: “Happy International Fake Oppression Day to everyone who wants complete strangers to know they don’t fancy a sh*g.”

Happy International Fake Oppression Day to everyone who wants complete strangers to know they don’t fancy a shag. pic.twitter.com/xkBhbWqP5z

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 6, 2025

Her arguments about biological sex and women-only spaces

A central part of Rowling’s public stance is her belief that biological sex should remain an important distinction, particularly when it comes to women-only spaces.

In a 2020 essay, she argued that allowing trans women to access single-sex spaces, including women’s bathrooms and changing rooms, could compromise the privacy and safety of biological women.

Those arguments have remained at the heart of the disagreement between Rowling and her critics. The controversy has continued long after her initial 2020 tweets, with Rowling becoming increasingly vocal about gender-related political and legal issues.

Now, as HBO prepares to introduce an entirely new generation to the Wizarding World, the debate is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.

For more like this, like The Tab on Facebook.

Featured image via HBO/X