Billy Bragg is being accused of misogyny by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling after he sided with Graham Norton's stance on who should speak for trans kids (hint: it's not celebrities).
A multi-tweet row began over the weekend when Bragg responded to a video of Norton discussing cancel culture, viewed through the lens of recent outbursts by John Cleese and Rowling, and the ensuing calls for accountability (and practically zero financial consequences for either figure).
"Norton really good here on John Cleese, telling him that 'cancel culture' is just accountability, and J.K. Rowling, suggesting that the media talk directly to trans teens and their parents rather than merely amplifying the takes of a celebrity," Bragg wrote, sending Joanne into a near-immediate spiral.
"Very much enjoying the recent spate of bearded men stepping confidently onto their soapboxes to define what a woman is and throw their support behind rape and death threats to those who dare disagree," the author wrote, completely side-stepping the existence of trans men and boys, and suggesting that Bragg's support of transgender rights somehow equates to condoning threats of violence against her. "You may mock, but takes real bravery to come out as an Old Testament prophet."
Bragg responded by telling Rowling that it's "hard to think of anything that better illustrates Graham Norton's point than the sight of someone with 13.9m followers reacting to a call for a fair hearing for trans teens and their parents by equating it to *checks notes* support for rape and death threats."
Rowling ended by adding, "Hard to think of anything that better illustrates misogyny than men complaining that a woman has a view on woman's rights."
Norton has since deactivated his account, presumably in the fallout from the exchange, which you can see below.
A multi-tweet row began over the weekend when Bragg responded to a video of Norton discussing cancel culture, viewed through the lens of recent outbursts by John Cleese and Rowling, and the ensuing calls for accountability (and practically zero financial consequences for either figure).
"Norton really good here on John Cleese, telling him that 'cancel culture' is just accountability, and J.K. Rowling, suggesting that the media talk directly to trans teens and their parents rather than merely amplifying the takes of a celebrity," Bragg wrote, sending Joanne into a near-immediate spiral.
"Very much enjoying the recent spate of bearded men stepping confidently onto their soapboxes to define what a woman is and throw their support behind rape and death threats to those who dare disagree," the author wrote, completely side-stepping the existence of trans men and boys, and suggesting that Bragg's support of transgender rights somehow equates to condoning threats of violence against her. "You may mock, but takes real bravery to come out as an Old Testament prophet."
Bragg responded by telling Rowling that it's "hard to think of anything that better illustrates Graham Norton's point than the sight of someone with 13.9m followers reacting to a call for a fair hearing for trans teens and their parents by equating it to *checks notes* support for rape and death threats."
Rowling ended by adding, "Hard to think of anything that better illustrates misogyny than men complaining that a woman has a view on woman's rights."
Norton has since deactivated his account, presumably in the fallout from the exchange, which you can see below.
