If you’ve been following this at all you already know that JK Rowling has been the focus of intense hate online from trans people and their allies. She’s had death threats of various kinds including one that came from actor/drag queen JJ Welles back in 2020.
I can’t show you that 2020 tweet because it has been deleted but apparently he made some reference to burning JK Rowling at the stake. Meanwhile he was also involved in trying to get someone named Fred Sargeant hounded off Twitter. Sargeant is a former cop who participated in the Stonewall riots in 1969 and then co-founded the first Gay Pride parade in New York City. He has apparently become somewhat critical of transgender rights in recent years which is why JJ Welles dislikes him.
So when Sargeant returned from a Twitter suspension that Welles had taken credit for, Welles tweeted that his solicitor would be doing something about it. And that’s when Rowling stepped in. She’d given Welles a pass on the previous tweet about burning her at the stake but now that he was threatening legal action Rowling decided to let him know everyone can play that game. Notice his tweet calling her a Nazi, which was the last straw.
The thing about the solicitors game is everyone can play, JJ. 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?? pic.twitter.com/gaHJ7YaP70
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 29, 2022
And then Rowling spelled out why. I think she did this because she’s smart and knew that not everyone would know or remember the reasons. She wanted to put it out there so people couldn’t invent their own versions of what happened.
JJ, if anybody close to you had your best interests at heart, they’d strongly advise you not to keep handing my lawyers ammunition. Setting aside the burning-at-the-stake tweet you posted about me, which you now claim was a metaphor (and which I ignored, against advice) 1/3
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 29, 2022
I understand that you and your ilk feel untouchable. I understand that in your own minds you’re heroes of unimpeachable righteousness, justified in slurring, defaming and threatening. You were the one who dragged his lawyer into this so, by all means, let’s go to lawyers. 3/3
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 29, 2022
And that’s it. He wanted to talk tough and bring lawyers into it and Rowling said, let’s do this. Well it looks like Welles finally got some good advice from his own solicitor because yesterday he deleted his tweets and issued a groveling apology to JK Rowling:
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.
(1/3)— JJ Welles (@josephjames94) February 13, 2023
I would also like to retract my likening to JK Rowling to any far right or Nazi organisation and emphasise I do not wish any individual, inclusive of JK Rowling, to come to any harm.
(3/3)
— JJ Welles (@josephjames94) February 13, 2023
Libel laws are quite different in the UK. Here, you can get away with calling a public person like Rowling a Nazi. In the UK, not so much. Obviously, someone informed Welles that he would not win this case in court. He decided he’d rather apologize than pay Rowling a bunch of money.
Of course his trans fans are very aware that he doesn’t mean a word of it and are winking and nodding at his statement.
We understand JJ – lots of love ❤️ All know what’s going on.
— India Willoughby (@IndiaWilloughby) February 13, 2023
So far this isn’t getting much traditional media attention, PinkNews seems to be the only site with a story about it. But I’m sure word will spread. My own guess is that the trans activists on Twitter still feel pretty untouchable and will be keeping Rowling’s lawyer busy for the next several months.
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