Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Trans Paralympian Has Perfect Response After JK Rowling Accuses Her Of Being A 'Cheat'

Valentina Petrillo; JK Rowling
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images; Euan Cherry/Getty Images

Italian Paralympic sprinter Valentina Petrillo, who is transgender, opened up to reporters about the 'Harry Potter' author's demeaning comments.

Harry Potter author and virulent transphobe JK Rowling apparently was not swayed by the cyberbullying lawsuit filed against her by Algerian Olympic boxer Imane Khelif after she baselessly accused Khelif of being trans.

Now Rowling has once again resumed her favorite pastime of attacking trans people for no reason, this time she set her sights on Italian Paralympic sprinter Valentina Petrillo, who is transgender and visually impaired.


Petrillo recently opened up to the press about enduring Rowling's branding of her as an "out and proud cheat," and her response is frankly a master class in shade.

In an interview with UK newspaper The Times, Petrillo openly celebrated the fact that she's attracted so much of Rowling's attention despite not really knowing much about the writer.

“I’m flattered that Rowling is talking about me. I’ve never even read 'Harry Potter.' I’m told she wrote it but I didn’t read it."

She then mocked the approach to gender found in Rowling's own iconic works.

"I was told that she wrote about a sport where there is no gender. So, I was expecting different behavior from Rowling."

Petrillo's comments come after Rowling bloviated at length about Petrillo in a thread on X, in which she sarcastically wrote:

“The cheat community has never had this kind of visibility. Out and proud cheats like Petrillo prove the era of cheat-shaming is over. What a role model. I say we give [disgraced cyclist] Lance Armstrong his medals back and move on. #Cheats #NoShame.”

In a follow-up post, Rowling went on to play her favorite game in which she pretends to have no problem with MOST transgender people, just the ones she deems to be supposedly fraudulent women using their gender to cheat her and other women out of, in this case, *checks notes* Paralympic titles she didn't even win.

“Stereotypes are simplistic/prejudiced blanket assumptions about a demographic that don’t correlate with the facts. I know all trans people aren’t cheats."
"However, knowing you have an unfair advantage and exploiting it anyway is pretty much the textbook definition of cheating.”

And using your power as a world-famous billionaire cultural figure to repeatedly attack people who've done absolutely nothing to you is pretty much the textbook definition of deranged, debilitating insecurity.

On social media, many people applauded Petrillo for speaking out against Rowling.





Petrillo also noted to The Times that, contrary to Rowling's seeming obsession with her gender, her fellow Paralympians have welcomed her with open arms and she's never felt so accepted as she has in the Olympic Village.

More from News/lgbtq

Marlee Matlin; Charlie Kirk
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Marlee Matlin Has Blunt Advice For Trumper Who Wants To End Sign Language Interpreters On TV

Deaf actor Marlee Matlin shut down right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk for his ableist remark concerning live coverage of the wildfires that continue devastating Los Angeles.

Several fires, which have spread rapidly due to the Santa Ana winds, have left several thousand southern California residents evacuating their homes as firefighters continue fighting blazes in 0% containment zones.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jean Smart
ohn Nacion/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images

Jean Smart Sparks Debate With Idea For How To Raise Money Amid Devastating L.A. Wildfires

Actor Jean Smart shared a bold approach to raising funds for first responders and families affected by the fires that continue to rage throughout Los Angeles.

Smart, who recently won her second Golden Globe award for the Max comedy-dramaHacks, took to Instagram and wrote:

Keep ReadingShow less
The Cast Of 'School Of Rock' Just Reunited For The Wedding Of Two Of The Film's Young Stars
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

The Cast Of 'School Of Rock' Just Reunited For The Wedding Of Two Of The Film's Young Stars

Weddings: one of the places where folks from your backgrounds can get together, meet one another, catch up with family, and....sing a song in tribute to the hit movie the couple were in as kids?

Okay, that last one might be just for Angelo Massagli and Caitlin Hale, who were in the movie School of Rock in 2003 together. They played school kids to Jack Black's oddball and inspirational teacher, and many of the cast were in attendance at the wedding.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lady Gaga
Monica Schipper/Getty Images

Lady Gaga Thanks Fans With 'Grateful' Video After Scoring History-Making Number One Song

Pop music sensation Lady Gaga shared a humble message of gratitude after she hit a major milestone

The song “Die with a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, which was released on August 16, 2024, just hit number on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week dated January 11, 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Gavin Newsom; Donald Trump
CNN; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Shames Trump For 'Politicizing' Los Angeles Fires In Powerful Clip

After President-elect Donald Trump spread lies about the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires, blaming California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom for the destruction, Newsom addressed the matter on CNN, telling Anderson Cooper that Trump "wanted to politicize" the disaster even as people flee and lose their lives.

Deadly wildfires in Los Angeles County remain largely uncontained, with officials reporting at least five confirmed fatalities so far. However, on Thursday, authorities admitted, “frankly, we don’t know” the true extent of the death toll. Evacuation orders are currently affecting nearly 180,000 residents, as thousands of homes and buildings have been destroyed.

Keep ReadingShow less