Judy Blume clarifies statement on J.K. Rowling: “I stand with the trans community”

Judy Blume was taken out of context, according to Judy Blume. The beloved children’s author commented on another children’s author, J.K. Rowling, in a new interview with The Sunday Times. But speaking on Rowling these days is tantamount to taking a side in the debate about transgender rights. If you’re for Rowling, you tend to be against the trans community, or so the lines have been drawn.

It would seem that the interviewer for the Times was explicitly trying to get Blume on the record about the subject, bringing up the Harry Potter author multiple times. When writer Hadley Freeman mentions she “loved” Rowling’s magical protagonists, Blume replied, “And I love her,” Blume immediately interjects. “I am behind her 100 per cent as I watch from afar.” Asked by Freeman if she’d reached out to Rowling, Blume said they’d met and communicated infrequently but she “probably” should reach out to her “during this tough time.”

Freeman states in her piece that Blume was “referring to the abuse Rowling has received for speaking up in defence of women’s sex-based rights,” but as it turns out the Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret author is not, in fact, 100% behind Rowling in this particular instance. “I wholly support the trans community,” Blume posted to Twitter on Sunday evening. “My point, which was taken out of context, is that I can empathize with a writer—or person—who has been harassed online.”

That point was referenced later in the interview when Freeman brought up Rowling yet again, commenting that Blume faced “attacks” from the political right, while Rowling faced the same from the left. “You would probably know better than me, and I’m not up on every word that’s been said,” the 85-year-old replied. “But it can also be said that [Rowling’s] a victim of Twitter, because people believe what they read on Twitter, whatever you actually said.”

Based on her comments, it appears that Blume was not fully apprised of the minefield she had wandered into. Nevertheless, she was unequivocal regarding her stance in her Twitter statement. “I stand with the trans community and vehemently disagree with anyone who does not fully support equality and acceptance for LGBTQIA+ people. Anything to the contrary is total bullshit.”