Let’s give Rowling a break. For four years, she has spoken up consistently and courageously in defence of women’s rights – in sport and elsewhere – when politicians and officials were unable to even to define the word ‘woman’.
Now her recent lack of tweeting has led some to suggest that she’s gone quiet because of the lawsuit launched by the boxer, Imane Khelif. This week*, the New York Post suggested that ‘J.K. Rowling has gone silent on X since being named in a legal complaint by Algerian boxer Imane Khelif over online harassment she faced during the 2024 Olympics.’ Khelif’s lawsuit named both Rowling as well as Elon Musk – and could lead to criminal sanctions against the pair.
Perhaps the reasons for Rowling’s silence are far more mundane though. During her flurry of social media activity on the Olympic boxing competition, Rowling posted an idyllic photograph of mountains, glacier and lake, and told her 14 million followers that she was ‘in the most beautiful place on earth’ for her birthday.
Good for her, and I hope that she had a happy birthday. There was a time before social media, cell phones and the mobile internet that two weeks in the mountains – or wherever – meant time to get away from it all. If family and friends heard anything, it was on a postcard – often delivered after the sender was back home. The rest of the world, meanwhile, could mind their own business.
Those days are no more, and I think we are worse for it. We benefit from the time to think and reflect, something that social media takes from us. Whenever news breaks – for example a boxer reported to have XY chromosomes faces women in the ring – the pressure to say our piece is strong.
In previous generations, that might have been among a group of friends in the pub. Human instinct means that we want to discuss events, find out what others think, and maybe try and persuade them that we know best. But, crucially, the rest of the world is not listening when we vent to friends – and we get the opportunity to test and refine our opinions.
On X, Facebook, Instagram and the rest, our every utterance is already out there, and possibly screenshotted and filed away, before eyebrows are raised and private messages are sent in reply: ‘Did you really mean to say that so directly?’ If, that is, they come back at all – critical friends online are a rare blessing among the trolling and the baiting. Internet sleuths have alleged that Rowling has recently been deleting some of her tweets. Even if this is true, it really is Rowling’s business what she wants to publish, and what she wants to unpublish once she has had a time to think about it.
More widely, however, the fact remains that human beings do not seem to have evolved for social media. The instant feedback: the likes, the reposts, and the replies can be intoxicating, especially when the app and its built-in notifications are engineered to appeal to our senses and drive our emotions. While our bodies might crave fast food – or certain drugs – our minds can crave social media. Dopamine is released in our brains, and cycles of addition can take hold: profitable for the purveyors of the product; potentially devastating for those who are gripped by it.
Rowling and I are of a generation that managed to grow up free from these temptations. There were others – alcohol and cigarettes come to mind – but access was restricted, and use was frowned upon, certainly until we were of age. Today’s youngsters on the other hand are subject to far fewer controls on social media use. The platforms can set minimum ages (13 years old for X and Facebook) but there is little to protect children from spending every moment of their free time glued to their phones. Sadly, the example set by too many adults does not help.
Rowling’s words have been an inspiration to many people campaigning for a more sensible – and scientific – approach to sex and gender. Her recent silence could be an example of a different kind. Life can and does go on without the incessant use of social media. Perhaps someone could suggest that to Elon Musk?
Debbie Hayton is a teacher and journalist.
Her book, Transsexual Apostate – My Journey Back to Reality is published by Forum
* This article was first published by The Spectator on 23 August 2024: J.K. Rowling deserves a break from social media.
Debbie Hayton 
5 replies on “J.K. Rowling deserves a break from social media”
Debbie, thank you for defending Rowling. Unfortunately, in Britain — which has been overtaken by transgender ideology much more than America — I think there’s a chance that Khelif could prevail in a lawsuit against Rowling. Here in the U.S., a court would say, “Given that Khelif has XY chromosomes, Rowling’s comments must be considered opinions protected by free speech.” But in England, where you have such things as GRCs (gender recognition certificates), the legal path to Rowling winning might be less certain. I have Rowling’s email address. I’m going to offer her money for her defense fund. (Sorry, when I’m writing here, I should be more English — make that “defence fund”.)
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JK Rowling has merely stated the biological facts. Imane Khelif is a man. In any lawsuit, it is not how you ‘feel’ or ‘identify,’ it is what is true and what is true is that this person is a man masquerading as a woman. No hysterical screeching from the woke/trans brigade to the contrary will change the facts. No heavily airbrushed and Photoshopped images of this guy dressed and made up as a woman will change the facts – he is a man. XY does not equal XX. Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/sports/who-imane-khelif-algerian-olympic-boxer-deemed-have-male-chromosomes
“Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 championships before a gold medal bout over gender eligibility issues. IBA President Umar Kremlev released a statement to Russia’s TASS Agency about why Khelif was disqualified.”
“Based on DNA tests, we identified a number of athletes who tried to trick their colleagues into posing as women. According to the results of the tests, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from competition,” Kremlev said.”
If the IBA is certain this man is a man posing as a woman, you can be sure these are the facts. Too often the truth is swept under the rug in the storm of woke outrage which is meant to obfuscate the truth and only aims to win their point at all costs; to the detriment of women and the sport, of course, but they do not care. There is too much money to be made out of wins and endorsements and so these chancers, buoyed by their supporters, go ahead. This man has grossly underestimated the clout of the two people he thinks he can sue. Rowling and Musk have the finances to take on this joker and crush him in court. He can easily prove what he is by taking off all his clothes in court and letting the judge and jury decide based on physical evidence. If the physical evidence is to be believed, he has a penis which is clearly visible in some of his sporting photos. Let the games begin!
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Here in America, it needs to be said that there are many courts that accept the arguments of trans activists. For a man to “feel” like a woman makes him a real woman (etc. etc.). Instead of “feel”, they give it a fancy-sounding name, “gender identity”. So it’s quite possible some American court could pronounce Khelif to be a legal woman. However, the fact that he has XY chromosomes would be enough for most judges to dismiss a case of libel. Even if a man can identify himself into being a woman, I think most judges would agree that chromosomes have some legal relevance.
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Hopefully, the chromosomes are the ONLY arbiter of what is a man or a woman…
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Chromosomes are an arbitrator for karyotype. That is an objective test that could be used for eligibility in sport. I think we would have far more clarity if we separated that question from who is a woman and who is not.
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