Member-only story
On the 3rd Anniversary of J.K. Rowling’s Pledge for Trans Rights
She ‘would’ have marched with us, but when?
On June 6, 2023, we solemnly observe the third anniversary of J.K. Rowling’s pledge to march for trans rights.
Rowling supporters commonly cite this tweet as proof that she supports trans rights.
In doing so, they primarily support Rowling, not trans people, since they are primarily concerned with the perceptions, experiences, and opinions of Rowling rather than those of trans people. Hence, my intentional choice of the words “Rowling supporters,” by my own assessment as well as theirs. Their chosen hashtag is #IStandWithJKRowling, not #IMarchWithTransPeople.
As for the claim that Rowling supports trans rights, the time-elapse reveals otherwise. “I’d march with you” is a pledge. The pledge’s condition “if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans” has been satisfied. Three years have passed. The pledge has not been and plainly will never be met.
You might call the original statement a “lie,” or “bluster” or “bullshit,” or just “PR.” Those terms depend on precise assessments of Rowling’s intention or lack thereof. I’m also looking at intention, but in a broader sense.
A pledge is provisionally judged when it is first expressed; it carries weight insofar as it expresses real intention to perform an action. The pledge is ultimately judged when the promised action does, or doesn’t, occur. If we decide the speaker was insincere all along, that affects our judgment of them, and if we believe we were outright lied to, we’ll believe it would have been better had the unfulfilled pledge never been made at all. But even without getting into the details of the person’s sincerity, the pledge doesn’t have any positive effect if it’s not fulfilled.
If the person was sincere in their commitment but their pledge goes unfulfilled, they ought to give a reason for what happened, and if they remain committed, they ought to make a new pledge they can actually fulfill and make themselves accountable for it.
