JK Rowling has coined a new term to describe the trans rights movement that many women believe is stripping them of their rights and protections: The New Endarkenment.
The author was responding on social media to the Canadian nurse and journalist Amy Hamm, who now faces suspension after she lost a long-running disciplinary hearing in Vancouver.
After a 14-month hearing – dubbed a 'witch trial' by critics – the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives ruled last week that she had committed unprofessional conduct by making "discriminatory and derogatory statements" about transgender people.
"I'm not transphobic. I don't have any issue with trans people – it's the infringement on women and children's rights," Hamm told the panel. One of the complaints against the mother-of-two related to a billboard she co-sponsored in Vancouver which read: "I ♥ JK Rowling."
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The case relates to comments she made online between 2018 and 2021, which the panel has now ruled were designed "to elicit fear, contempt and outrage against members of the transgender community."
After the verdict, the mother-of-two declared on X: "The fight isn't over. I will always fight for free speech and women's sex-based rights." She also shared part of the guilty verdict against her: "The panel understands that the statement that there are only two sexes – male and female – is an oversimplification that does not align with current medical or biological understanding."
In response, Rowling said: "Don't let them gaslight you into thinking you're the mad one. The New Endarkenment will not win if there are still people are brave enough to stand up for objective, scientific truth and the rights of women and children. This quasi-religious bullshit is just that: bullsh*t".
She added: "It's one battle lost, not the whole war. Millions of women stand with you, Amy."
The Edinburgh author also sent a heartfelt message of support to the nurse, saying: "I know it doesn't feel like it right now, Amy, but sometimes a loss is really a win. By fighting the case you've been responsible for a whole new slew of people waking up to the absolute insanity of all this. So much bullying and discrimination against women is happening behind closed doors.
"Every single time a woman is brave enough to drag it all out into daylight, and employers and professional bodies are forced to show their hand and declare openly what batsh*t conditions they're imposing on staff, more people rally in defence of free speech, common sense and women's rights. You're a heroine and your case will be a landmark. It's Friday. Raise a glass to the Terven tonight, as we'll all be doing to you".
The BC College of Nurses and Midwives has yet to decide a penalty for Ms Hamm, and she is entitled to appeal to the state's Supreme Court.
"By identifying herself as a nurse or nurse educator while posting discriminatory and/or derogatory opinions regarding a vulnerable and historically disadvantaged group on various online platforms, [Ms Hamm] undermined the reputation and integrity of the nursing profession," the decision says.
"The respondent is free to disseminate her views to the public without identifying herself as a nurse or nurse educator or her affiliation with the college."
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