‘TOTAL BULLSH*T’

Judy Blume Clarifies Herself After Saying She’s ‘Behind’ J.K. Rowling

The 85-year-old author said that her remark was taken out of context, and strongly reaffirmed her support for the trans community.

Hours after an interview was published in The Sunday Times of London quoting Judy Blume as saying she was “behind” J.K. Rowling “100%,” Blume took to Twitter to clarify that her words were taken out of context. “I wholly support the trans community,” the 85-year-old author wrote. “My point, which was taken out of context, is that I can empathize with a writer—or person—who has been harassed online. I stand with the trans community and vehemently disagree with anyone who does not fully support equality and acceptance for LGBTQIA+ people. Anything to the contrary is total bullshit.” Her interview with The Sunday Times was conducted by Hadley Freeman, a writer who has identified herself as a gender-critical feminist in the past. Freeman also asked Margaret Atwood to take a stance on trans rights in an interview published last year, pressing her repeatedly until the author became “thoroughly fed up,” as Freeman wrote.