Ricky Gervais Accused of Transphobia After Tweeting Jokes Mocking Men Who Exploit Transgender Identity
Spencer Baculi
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Comedian Ricky Gervais has been accused of transphobia after jokingly posting a tweet that parodied the more vocal and radical elements of trans activism.
On December 19th, the Twitter account of Jarvis Dupont, a character created to lampoon the radical personalities, rhetoric, and belief of demanding, social justice-oriented activists, posted a link to an article written by the character for Spectator USA, titled J.K. Rowling is a TERF!.
Related: Ricky Gervais Blasts Opponents of Free Speech
In the article, the Dupont character discussed how he was “gobsmacked” and “betrayed” by a recent tweet made by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling in support of Maya Forstater, a researcher who was recently fired for her belief that ““sex” is a material reality which should not be conflated with “gender” or “gender identity”.”:
“I was utterly gobsmacked. I felt betrayed. The sheer bigotry of this woman. How is it even slightly reasonable to not want cis women to pay dearly for their thought crimes against the persecuted trans cult? In fact, if Margaret Atwood doesn’t rewrite The Handmaid’s Tale with the main character as Sam Smith, then I shall demand she is imprisoned for gender bias and prejudice. How dare cis women behave as if they are oppressed. After Rowling’s outrageous endorsement of transphobia, I have burned every single one of my Harry Potter books, along with my Gryffindor hoodie, my Hogwarts beanie hat and my Hadgrid waifu pillow. I urge everyone reading this to do the same.”
J.K. Rowling is a TERF!
Speaking as a trans woman, the thought that I will no longer be welcome in a fictional school for wizards has destroyed me.
My latest @SpectatorUSA piece.
— Jarvis Dupont (@JarvisDupont) December 19, 2019
In response to Dupont’s sharing of the article, Gervais replied by continuing the satirical attitude displayed in the article, joking that “those awful biological women can never understand what it must be like for you becoming a lovely lady so late in life.”
Those awful biological women can never understand what it must be like for you becoming a lovely lady so late in life. They take their girly privileges for granted. Winning at female sports and having their own toilets. Well, enough is enough.
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) December 20, 2019
Following this Tweet, Gervais was bombarded with accusations of transphobia, as some users believed Gervais was promoting the idea that transwomen are men, regardless of their self-identification.
However, in a series of follow-up Tweets, Gervais explained that his Tweet “wasn’t talking about trans people,” but rather criticizing “cis men exploiting self ID to get into women’s spaces.”
Exactly. We need to protect the rights of women. Not erode them because some men have found a new cunning way to dominate and demonise an entire sex.
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) December 20, 2019
Sure. I think trans women are women. I wasn’t talking about trans people 🙏
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) December 21, 2019
That wasn’t my point. In my original tweet where I said ‘men’, I wasn’t referring to real trans women. I was referring to cis men exploiting self ID to get into women’s spaces.
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) December 23, 2019
Related: Comedian Kevin Hart Quits As Oscar Host After Old Tweets Resurface
Gervais is set to host The Golden Globes awards for the fifth time on January 5th, 2020. It is currently unknown if this appearance will be affected by the backlash received for his thoughts and opinions.
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