An online troll was forced to apologize to J.K. Rowling after the author threatened legal action over a since-deleted tweet that likened her to a “Nazi.”
Twitter user JJ Welles, who describes himself as a drag queen and jazz hands enthusiast in his bio, apologized to Rowling on Monday after the author threatened legal action in Dec. 2022.
I would like to publicly apologise for a previous Twitter thread where I interacted with JK Rowling on matters relating to the transgender community. I have now removed these tweets and would like to apologise to JK Rowling directly for causing potential upset.
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— JJ Welles (@josephjames94) February 13, 2023
In a tweet, Welles said Rowling is a “Nazi” or that she at least “has views that align with them.” In response, Rowling tweeted, “I ignored your ‘hyperbolic metaphor’ about burning me to death in 2020, but I’m starting to think that was a mistake. What’s your solicitor’s view on this Nazi accusation? Would they advise you to defend it in court?”
According to another tweet from Rowling, Welles had published defamatory statements about her since 2020 and at one point reportedly posted a tweet that referenced burning the author at the stake, a statement he claimed was a “hyperbolic metaphor.”
The Harry Potter author has found herself at the heart of a heated debate surrounding transgenderism after expressing her dissatisfaction with an Op-ed entitled “Creating a more equal post-COVID 19 world for people who menstruate” in June 2020. Rowling doubled down on her views with a series of later tweets, rejecting the idea that it was “hateful” for her to raise concerns about the concept of womanhood being erased. (RELATED: Harry Potter Star Ralph Fiennes Defends J.K. Rowling Against Attacks)
“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth,” Rowling tweeted.
Welles also emphasized that he did “not wish any individual, inclusive of J.K. Rowling, to come to any harm.”
