J.K. Rowling is on yet another anti-trans tirade as she takes aim at British department store M&S over an incident involving a member of staff who happens to be trans.
The Harry Potter author has taken to X to encourage women and TERFs to “vote with their wallets” and boycott the department store chain. M&S recently came under fire after a customer complained about a trans employee who allegedly approached her daughter in the bra section and asked if they needed any help. The department store apologized to the mother which many argued it should not have done as the member of staff had done nothing wrong.
However, Rowling’s issue with M&S is not with the decision to apologize. It’s with the decision to hire a trans person in the first place. The author referred to the recent U.K. supreme court ruling, which she gleefully celebrated earlier this year, that determined that a person’s legal sex would always be their biological sex (i.e. the sex listed on their birth certificate).
It's time for women to vote with their wallets. If stores like M&S continue to flout the Supreme Court ruling on women-only spaces, prioritising the wishes of men who want to undress near, or help fit bras on teenage girls, a boycott seems appropriate.https://t.co/9RsUetLEVA
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 4, 2025
She accused the store of flouting the ruling by allowing a trans woman into a woman only space and she claimed that justified the boycott.
Rowling perpetuates a false narrative
The 60-year-old billionaire claimed that the M&S employee “offered to help a teenage girl with her bra,” although this isn’t exactly how the situation played out. In the apology, M&S clarified that the staff member is not an employee who carries out bra fittings, the complaint states that the employee simply asked the mother and daughter if they needed help finding the right part of the store according to Pink News.
Once again, I marvel at how many men think the only issue with a man offering to help a teenage girl with her bra is that the girl refused. They tweet this stuff under their own names and pictures. It's astounding. https://t.co/H3WtlbbT3M
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 6, 2025
Rowling’s posts suggest she thinks, or wants people to think, that the employee was offering to help with the bra specifically. In reality the woman was simply doing her job which had nothing to do with fitting bras.
The response online
On X the whole situation has been the subject of a hot debate for the past 24 hours. While there are always going to be those who agree with Rowling’s hateful views, many called her out for yet another needless attack on the trans community. One person asked if the author would demand the store stop selling her Harry Potter merchandise.
As @jk_rowling appears to be suggesting a boycott of Marks and Spencer, I do hope she will also be demanding the removal of Harry Potter tat currently being sold in their stores.
— Miffy (@miffythegamer) August 5, 2025
Because I’m sure madam wouldn’t want to be accused of hypocrisy. https://t.co/lNQYcy1Gkk
Others called her out for lying about the situation.
JK Rowling, should be ashamed of this post, as its an outright lie. The clothing department, even women's section is not a single sex space. Her post attacked M&S, breached X policy, yet still sits on her profile, with 15 million followers. pic.twitter.com/mNW9U9VeUh
— Natalie Wright(@natsrambles) August 6, 2025
Another individual pointed out that M&S employs thousands of women meaning Rowling’s plan could end up harming the very group she claims to want to protect.
Sorry I’m on a roll, but if @jk_rowling actually cared about women and children, asking for a boycott of M&S, who employ literally 1000s of women, many who’s children rely on their income, is a reckless folly and could cost jobs. #IStandWithMandS
— Marianne Oakes (@OakesMarianne) August 6, 2025
In the end it seems unlikely that this boycott will amount to much. While Rowling may be incredibly vocal about her hate towards the trans community, her rants on X are nothing more than white noise from a billionaire bully. However, it is a shame that M&S isn’t standing up for the trans employee, especially considering the employee was simply trying to do their job.
