Author Judy Blume says her comments about being 'behind' J.K. Rowling were 'taken out of context': 'I stand with the trans community'
- Judy Blume took to Twitter to clarify her comments about being "behind" J.K. Rowling.
- The author said that her interview with the Times of London was "taken out of context."
"Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" author Judy Blume has clarified her comments in a recent interview in which she said she supported J.K. Rowling.
The "Harry Potter" author has come under fire a number of times in the last few years over her offensive comments about the transgender community. In the past, many "Harry Potter" actors like Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Eddie Redmayne have spoken out against Rowling's comments and supported transgender fans.
Blume recently spoke to the Times of London ahead of the new "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" movie, and was asked about her opinion on Rowling and the online backlash over her comments.
The 85-year-old author briefly noted, "I am behind her 100 percent as I watch from afar." Journalist Hadley Freeman wrote that this was "referring to the abuse Rowling has received for speaking up in defense of women's sex-based rights."
However, Blume issued a statement on Twitter on Sunday saying that her comments were taken "out of context," explaining that she was trying to say she empathizes with someone being harassed online.
Blume wrote: "I wholly support the trans community. My point, which was taken out of context, is that I can empathize with a writer — or person — who has been harassed online."
The author went on to say that she disagrees with anyone who doesn't support the LGBTQ+ community, adding: "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."
Blume followed up with a second tweet pointing to a recent interview she gave to Variety, in which she discussed books being banned in the United States.
In the interview, Blume said: "No child is going to become transgender or gay or lesbian because they read a book. It's not going to happen. They may say, 'Oh, this is just like me. This is what I'm feeling and thinking about.' Or, 'I'm interested in this because I have friends who may be gay, bi, lesbian.' They want to know!"
She added: "I just read a book that was wonderfully enlightening to me. It's called 'Gender Queer.' It's probably the No. 1 banned book in America right now. And I thought, 'This young person is telling me how they came to be what they are today.' And I learned a lot, and became even more empathetic."