J.K. Rowling has reaffirmed her position on sex, gender and spaces reserved for women, declaring that years of criticism and threats have not changed her views. The British author addressed the controversy Wednesday in a new essay revisiting arguments she made in June 2020, as reported by Fox News.

Rowling, best known for writing the “Harry Potter” series, published the update six years after her original essay sparked fierce debate over transgender rights. That earlier piece prompted criticism from transgender rights activists and LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, as well as calls to boycott her work.

Her latest essay made clear that she has no intention of retreating. Rowling wrote that her views “haven’t changed” since 2020, but that “the landscape certainly has, and my own involvement in the issue has become practical as well as theoretical, so I thought it was time for an update.”

I wrote a new piece about women’s rights and whether or not I want trans people dead. (Spoiler: I don’t) https://t.co/BfxVLo0AD1

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 21, 2026

Rowling again opposed policies allowing transgender women into certain spaces reserved for women, arguing that such measures weaken protections for women. She also described modern transgender activism as “elitist to its core.”

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“It’s true, of course, that trans activism doesn’t impact all women negatively. In fact, the more privileged you are, the less it tends to affect you, and the more it might benefit you. Aside from an avalanche of death, rape and torture threats, it hasn’t noticeably affected my life,” Rowling wrote.

The author has rejected claims that her views are “anti-trans,” maintaining that her advocacy focuses on women’s safety and privacy. In the essay, she also stated that transgender people should not face discrimination or threats to their safety.

“Should trans people be discriminated against when it comes to housing or employment? Of course not,” Rowling wrote. “Should trans people be stripped of their human rights , or denied personal safety? Again: of course not.”

The essay arrived after transgender rights activists protested a gala performance of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” in London earlier this month. One demonstrator wore a shirt reading, “Rowling money kills,” while security personnel eventually removed the protesters from the red carpet.

GLAAD had criticized Rowling after her 2020 comments, accusing her of aligning herself with an ideology that distorted facts about gender identity and transgender people. Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the film adaptations, also responded through The Trevor Project.

“Transgender women are women,” Radcliffe wrote. He said statements to the contrary erased the identity and dignity of transgender people and conflicted with guidance from professional health care associations.

May Mailman, director of the Independent Women’s Law Center, told Fox News Digital that she agreed with Rowling’s criticism of wealthy supporters of transgender activism. Mailman argued that women from the working class are more likely to feel the effects of policies governing spaces reserved for women.

“They’re not worried about pronouns. They’re worried about improving their families and improving themselves. And so, there is this elitism that’s like when you run out of problems, you start inventing them,” Mailman said.

Rowling has also supported For Women Scotland, a campaign group that challenged the interpretation of “woman” under the U.K.’s Equality Act 2010. On April 16, 2025, the U.K. Supreme Court ruled that “woman” and “sex” refer to biological sex for the law’s purposes, while affirming discrimination protections for transgender people under its gender reassignment provisions.

Mailman welcomed that decision but warned that she believes free speech in Britain faces growing pressure. “I think we should treat it as a warning sign, because I think people look to Britain as where the United States could and often does head,” she said.

Jeremiah Igunnubole, U.K. legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom International, also welcomed Rowling’s essay. He praised her determination to challenge gender ideology and defend biological reality, adding that the organization would continue defending those principles, including through litigation in the U.K. when necessary.

A representative for Rowling declined to offer Fox News Digital any additional comment. Her essay nevertheless left no uncertainty about her position, presenting her latest response to years of criticism, protests and threats while repeating her arguments concerning women’s safety, privacy and legal protections.

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