From CNN.com: The revelation that Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s latest book hinges on a male serial killer who dresses like a woman infuriated social media users… Support our news coverage by subscribing to our Kindle Nation Daily Digest. Joining is free right now!
JK Rowling has once again come under fire from transgender rights activists, this time for her new crime novel, which features a cross-dressing serial killer.
Published Tuesday, “Troubled Blood” by Robert Galbraith — Rowling’s crime writer pseudonym — is the fifth installment in the Cormoran Strike series.
An review of the novel in Britain’s Daily Telegraph on Sunday described the “meat of the book” as an investigation into the cold case of a missing doctor who is believed to have fallen victim to a murderous cross-dresser.
“One wonders what critics of Rowling’s stance on trans issues will make of a book whose moral seems to be: never trust a man in a dress,” reviewer Jake Kerridge wrote.
Mermaids, a UK-based charity which supports transgender children and their families, said it was”concerned” by reports that the book features a character presenting as another gender in order to carry out attacks.
“This is a long-standing and somewhat tired trope, responsible for the demonization of a small group of people, simply hoping to live their lives with dignity,” a spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.
The spokesperson cited an example from Rowling’s second book in the “Strike” series from 2014 — “The Silkworm,” which featured a transgender character as a suspect.
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