Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

JK Rowling Called Out After Sarcastically Claiming She Identifies As A 'Reclining Sofa'

JK Rowling
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

The 'Harry Potter' author seemed to deliberately misunderstand a post asking anti-trans activists to 'define a chair' as metaphor for how difficult it can be to accurately define things.



JK Rowling is at it again, and this time she's ranting about... furniture.

Rowling spent the better part of the weekend raging on X, aka Twitter, after misunderstanding an old internet joke about chairs, which is used to criticize transphobes' constant demands that people "define what a woman is."

As a thought exercise, internet user Avery Edison asked Irish anti-trans activist Graham Linehan to "define a chair" in a way that "includes all things which are chairs and excludes all things which aren’t.”

Screenshot of internet discussion about the definition of a chair

Reddit

Linehan responded that a chair is "a separate seat for one person, typically with a back and four legs," and another internet user immediately responded with a picture of a horse labeled "chair" to illustrate what a fool's errand this line of thought really is, whether applied to furniture or gender.

That is, if a horse can fit the definition of a chair, trans people can fit the definition of a man or woman. Case closed.

Suffice to say, JK Rowling has never heard of this discussion, let alone understood the point. Because when it was referenced on Twitter this weekend, she took it literally and soon went into full meltdown mode.

In response to someone who reference the "define a chair" argument, Rowling tweeted:

"You might think you’re progressive, but have you ever unironically compared women to chairs?"

Rowling very clearly thought this joke of hers was hilarious, because she made it multiple times in multiple ways.

To one fellow online TERF, she "joked":

"I identify as a faux-leather reclineable sofa with cup holders in the arms. Yesterday I was mistaken for a chaise longue."

In another, she "joked" about being "misfurnitured," presumably a reference to being misgendered, after saying she "identifies as a reclining sofa."

Hilarious, perhaps, but only if the chair metaphor flew over your head in the first place, as it clearly seemed to for Rowling, who as a reminder is a writer of such preeminence it has made her a literal billionaire.

Rowling immediately became an object of mockery on Twitter for somehow not understanding how metaphors work.

Others referenced Rowling's past Twitter controversies, like the time she insisted that transgender people were not targeted during the Holocaust, which is absolutely, categorically false.

Nothing like one of the greatest writers of a generation being unable to understand a basic analogy. Never change, Joanne. Never change.

More from News/lgbtq

Brooke Rollins
Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images

Agriculture Secretary Gives Truly Bleak Description Of A Cheap Meal Option For Americans—And Wow

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was criticized for attempting to downplay rising food costs by sharing her rather dystopian idea of a $3 meal for American consumers amid the ongoing affordability crisis.

Rollins claimed that food prices were coming down, even as the latest Consumer Price Index shows grocery costs rising 0.7% in December. Some staples climbed far faster. Beef—which Rollins elevated near the top of the food pyramid in the dietary guidelines she unveiled this month—increased 1% over the month and was up 16.4% compared with a year earlier.

Keep ReadingShow less
Person behind bars
Photo by Ye Jinghan on Unsplash

Prison Guards Describe Times They've Seen Former Inmates After They Got Released

We all make mistakes, but there are certain mistakes and bad decisions that might lead us to believe that there's no way to have a good life after making such a wrong turn.

But according to some Redditors, there can be a great life ahead, even in the chapter after jail or prison.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from Redditor dreamthorp's video
u/dreamthorp/Reddit

Firefighter Dubbed A Hero For Trying To Kick Down Gamer Neighbor's Door After Hearing His Cries For Help

Not many of us genuinely have a story that ends with a laugh and, "It was all just a big misunderstanding!"

But Redditor dreamthorp had quite the story of misunderstanding to share, based on his post in the "ARC_Raiders" subReddit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert Pattinson (left) and Timothée Chalamet (right)
Lionel Hahn/Getty Images; A24

'Marty Supreme' Director Reveals That Robert Pattinson Played Key Role In Film—And Fans Are Stunned

Timothée Chalamet’s Marty Supreme has become both an awards-season darling and a box office juggernaut, delivering A24 its second-biggest opening ever and cementing its status as one of the year’s most buzzed-about films.

But amid the Golden Globe wins, Critics' Choice buzz, and widespread praise for Chalamet’s performance, one delightful detail slipped past even the most attentive fans.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dad playing with his child
MoMo Productions/Getty Images

Dad Sparks Backlash After Admitting He Can't Stand Spending More Than 10 Minutes With His Kids

Most people who have chosen to have kids and become parents love their children.

That said, we generally can only spend so much time with people, whether they're our loved ones or coworkers, before we need a little break. It's okay that parents might like an occasional break from their children, like having a nice dinner out.

Keep ReadingShow less