Just unfollowed a man whom I thought was smart and funny, because he called Theresa May a whore. 1/14
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 9, 2017
J.K. Rowling is not having your liberal sexist bullshit, thank you very much.
First, a glimpse into what’s going on in the U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May: In an attempt to bolster her Conservative party’s hold on Parliament, May called for a special election. This plan backfired dramatically, thanks to a poorly run campaign, and now this has lost the Conservative party the meager majority they had as the country trudges along in its march toward Brexit.
Needless to say, May is a hot topic of conversation, and there’s plenty of good reason to be upset with her. You know what’s not a good reason? Her being a woman. As you can see above, someone in Rowling’s Twitter feed felt the need to call May a “whore” in order to punctuate his political displeasure.
This. Is not. Okay.
You can disagree with someone’s politics and policies all you want, but leave the gendered insults at the door. Rowling felt the same way as she not only unfollowed the offending man, but explained exactly what was wrong with what he said for those who can’t seem to wrap their heads around it:
If you can’t disagree with a woman without reaching for all those filthy old insults, screw you and your politics. 2/14
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 9, 2017
I’m sick of ‘liberal’ men whose mask slips every time a woman displeases them, who reach immediately for crude and humiliating words 3/14
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 9, 2017
associated with femaleness, act like old-school misogynists and then preen themselves as though they’ve been brave. 4/14
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 9, 2017
The entire thread is gold, and you should check it out. And the next time you’re having feelings about a woman in the public eye, and you want to write something about her publicly, ask yourself if you’d say what you’re about to say (in the words you’re about to use) if that woman were a man. If the answer is no … maybe keep it to yourself? The Internet isn’t dependent on your opinion. It will manage to carry on without you, don’t you worry.
(featured image: JStone/Shutterstock)
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