'Yeah, go with this': Vox suggests that J.K. Rowling 'just [destroyed] the legacy of Harry Potter with a single, transphobic tweet'

Admit it: You’ve all been waiting with bated breath for Vox to weigh in on J.K. Rowling’s highly problematic tweet stating that — gasp! — “[biological] sex is real.”

Dress however you please.
Call yourself whatever you like.
Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you.
Live your best life in peace and security.
But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real? #IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotADrill

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 19, 2019

The Outrage Brigade’s reaction has been pretty spectacular, of course, but we’re pleased to inform you that Vox didn’t disappoint, either:

Did J.K. Rowling just destroy the legacy of Harry Potter with a single, transphobic tweet? https://t.co/K8CgiBeRRZ

— Vox (@voxdotcom) December 19, 2019

Vox’s Aja Romano writes:

In context, however, Rowling’s tweet reveals itself as a shocking dismissal of transgender identity: its first three lines seem to directly attack trans identity, while its final line mischaracterizes the facts surrounding a court case that involves significant transphobia.

…

As a longtime Harry Potter fan, someone who’s stuck with the fandom through countless moments of drama and real abuse and toxicity, I deeply relate to Travis McElroy’s wish in the thread above to be able to magically un-sully this thing that I love by somehow divorcing Harry Potter itself from the now-tainted voice of its author. But barring that, perhaps the best thing we can do is turn the saga of Harry Potter itself into a giant, ironic, cautionary tale: Never tweet.

Here’s some news for Vox: Pointing out that men and women are biologically distinct is not transphobia. Maya Forstater’s tweets were not transphobic. And J.K. Rowling’s tweet wasn’t, either.

This piece on @jk_rowling is absurd from top to bottom, but best part is when it says she is moderately liberal/progressive, but "increasingly less so than her fans." Rowling has sold 500 million books. Do we think online woke activists represent readers' median ideology? https://t.co/IJpfdlqAb3

— Philip Klein (@philipaklein) December 19, 2019

"Her fans are heartbroken."

All of them. EVERY SINGLE HARRY POTTER FAN IS HEARTBROKEN BECAUSE APPARENTLY JKR IS A HEARTLESS BIGOT!

It's a good thing we have Vox to explain this stuff to us. pic.twitter.com/qgZgLvD7vN

— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) December 19, 2019

Tell me again about the dogmatism of the right!https://t.co/z8QFfUSKDX

— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) December 19, 2019

This tweet and article should be matted and framed as the classic illustration of the fabled Tolerance of the Left. https://t.co/z8QFfUSKDX

— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) December 19, 2019

Well, maybe these two articles:

Wow, @voxdotcom is pulling out all the stops. Two articles within 10 minutes of each other.https://t.co/7CqRacmxQ2 https://t.co/bk30myWWzk pic.twitter.com/jIz7KvVHhB

— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) December 19, 2019

So.

LOL, yeah the entire body of work is now "destroyed" because of a tweet that gave a few kooks the vapors https://t.co/0DKhYkYUrd

— Keith Krampus, from Guatemala (@CutItOutPutin) December 19, 2019

An entire generation has now been deprived of their only literary referencehttps://t.co/Zvd9F3VUIv

— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) December 19, 2019

Ha!

But really. This is nuts. So damn stupid.

“Vox is a general interest news site for the 21st century. Its mission is simple: Explain the news.” https://t.co/a3CEYLZcQV

— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) December 19, 2019