Posted on September 15, 2020 at 1:03 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
A review of J.K. Rowling’s upcoming book, Troubled Blood, has returned the debate over the author’s tweets about transgendered people to the spotlight.
The British newspaper the Telegraph (which requires a subscription to read online) described the new Robert Galbraith novel, in a review, as focusing on the disappearance of a woman “thought to have been a victim of Dennis Creed, a transvestite serial killer,” according to several news outlets.
The Los Angeles Times notes that other reviews had not previously mentioned this detail; it adds that “transvestite” is an outdated term referring to men who sometimes wear women’s clothing and not the same as transgender.
Earlier this year, Rowling criticized the use of “people who menstruate” instead of “women.”
She then responded to the ensuing outrage with an essay that, among other things, suggested that allowing transgendered people to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity puts cisgendered people in danger.
The Troubled Blood review has elicited a variety of reactions, some supportive of Rowling, others critical of her — and of the way in which the Telegraph teased and shared the review.
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Categories: Today in Books