JK Rowling today condemned the ‘utterly shameful’ treatment of a sixth form pupil who claims she was hounded out of her private school after challenging the ‘trans ideology’ of a visiting speaker.
The teenager was treated ‘like a heretic’ for questioning the female member of the House of Lords’ arguments during a PSHE talk about transphobia in Parliament, one of her teachers said.
The pair parted amicably, but when she returned to the sixth form she was surrounded by up to 60 girls who screamed, swore and spat at her, leading to her being unable to breathe properly and collapsing, it is claimed.
Rowling waded into the row today, tweeting: ‘Utterly shameful. Add this to the tottering pile of evidence that people in education and academia who’re supposed to have a duty of care towards the young have succumbed to an outbreak of quasi-religious fanaticism. The girl’s crime? Saying ”sex exists”.’
JK Rowling has spoken out after a sixth form pupil claimed she was hounded out of her private school after challenging the ‘trans ideology’ of a visiting speaker
Rowling waded into the row today, warning that schools had ‘succumbed to an outbreak of quasi-religious fanaticism’
The pupil, 18, told The Times: ‘The language she was using was implying critical theory took precedence over biological reality in defining women.’
She added: ‘When I questioned that, she said it wasn’t an issue of semantics. She said trans people don’t have basic human rights in this country. Afterwards I spoke to her and said I’m sorry if I came across as rude.’
Teachers supported the teenager at first but abandoned her after other pupils accused her of transphobia, according to the report.
She returned to school on several occasions but was told she would be sent to work in the library if she said anything provocative in lessons, and was repeatedly bullied.
She eventually left in September.
A teacher at the school told the website Transgender Trend: ‘We know how these views are being silenced in the adult world through high-profile legal cases and the bullying of celebrities such as JK Rowling.
‘This is also happening in schools.’
The speaker was described as ‘a well known activist’, while the school was allegedly a member of the controversial Stonewall Diversity Champions scheme – which has faced claims it forces a strict interpretation of transgender ideology on its participants.
Noting that the pupil had challenged the speaker by saying she ‘respectfully disagreed’ with her, the teacher continued: ‘It was probably somewhat naive of her not to realise that this is indeed ”an ideology” and one with which you’re simply not allowed to disagree, however respectfully.
‘To question its basic tenets is simply heresy and heretics in one way or another need to be exposed, attacked and gotten rid of.
‘Even if they are such notable and seemingly untouchable figures as J K Rowling.’
The teacher said a group of sixth-formers arrived in an ‘animated state’ after the speaker’s visit, with a ‘significant group of girls verbally ‘laying into’ one particular 18-year-old who had had the audacity to question the position’.
The teacher went on to describe ‘the current transgender ideology’ to religious ‘fundamentalism’ and warned it was posing a ‘danger’ to schools.
He continued: ‘Narcissistic rage is the antithesis of righteous anger in that it is vengeful and vindictive, and (in its purest form) always seeks to annihilate and never forgives.
‘What happened in the 6th form centre, known these days as a ”woke pile on” is an example of where narcissistic rage masquerades as righteous anger in the form of ”gleeful outrage”.
‘Here, otherwise perfectly nice and agreeable individuals collude and congregate to show that they are on the moral high ground and ”on the right side of history”.
‘Also any waverers will be getting the clearest message of what will happen to ”them” if they don’t conform.’
