(London) An English school which had named one of its buildings JK Rowling in honor of the creator of the Harry Potter saga renamed it because of its “opinions on trans people”, at the origin of accusations of transphobia.
Boswells School in Chelmsford, which caters to pupils aged 11 to 18, changed the name of this building to Holmes – in honor of British athlete Kelly Holmes.
Stephen Mansell, principal of the school, explained that his school wanted to create “a vibrant, inclusive and democratic school community where we encourage students to become independent and confident citizens.”
“In the fall of 2021, we revised and renamed one of the school buildings following numerous requests from students and staff, as well as a vote from the whole school,” said he continued.
A school newsletter from July said its six buildings were named after ‘British citizens who excelled’.
“However, following many requests from students and staff, we are re-examining the name of our red ‘Rowling’ building in light of JK Rowling’s comments and opinions on trans people,” it said. .
In 2020, JK Rowling had shared on Twitter an article referring to “people who have their period”, commenting ironically: “I’m sure we had to have a word for these people. Someone help me. Feum? Famme? Feemm? “.
She has thus drawn the wrath of certain Internet users, who reminded her that transgender men can have their period and transgender women cannot.
She has since been the target of regular attacks by transgender rights activists and said in November that she had received death threats.
The status of trans people has been the subject of heated debate in recent years in the United Kingdom, with activists fighting for their rights on one side and certain intellectuals, authors and professors, especially feminists, on the other, accused of transphobia. , claiming to be victims of the ” cancel culture ”(Culture of erasure).