Twitter Seemingly Disables Likes On Controversial J.K. Rowling Tweet Expressing Support For Maya Forstater

Today user @JayneTheory noted something strange happening with a controversial tweet from J.K. Rowling from 2019. Earlier in the day, clicking on the heart button would not register as a like.

Related: Hogwarts Legacy Lead Designer Troy Leavitt Under Fire For Formerly Running “Anti-Social Justice YouTube Channel”

The original tweet, wherein Rowling used the hashtag #IStandWithMaya to show support for author Maya Forstater after she was fired from her job for commenting on trans matters, was made about three years ago.

When the tweet was first made, people accused Rowling of being a TERF, or trans-exclusionary radical feminist, a label which continues to be levelled against her by critics.  Since then, Rowling has been pretty silent on social media since then, putting out a few tweets in 2020 and so far remaining silent throughout 2021.

The issue with the like ratio was also noted by @sinner_b three days ago, who put up a short video (which can be viewed on the non-archived version of their tweet) showing that likes to the tweet weren’t registering, no matter how many times the like button was clicked.

Even further back, on February 27th, twitter user @jackstarbright similarly recorded her efforts in trying to like the tweet, only to see the same thing.

It seems the trouble surround interactions with Rowling’s tweet extend as far back as February 27th, when Twitter user @jackstarbright found that the same thing occurred when she tried to like the post and similarly shared a recording of her efforts.

In the interest of verification, I went to like the tweet myself. However I also found that I couldn’t leave a like for the tweet when using the Twitter app on my phone.

So, I went to the laptop and left a like through the website itself.

I couldn’t leave a like for the tweet either, using my mobile phone through the Twitter app. So I went to the laptop and through the website I left a like.

Initially, I noticed that the heart stayed red for a while, but going back to the tweet, it looks as if the like has disappeared.

While according to the screenshots it looks like the number of likes on the tweet are going up, users reportedly have to click the button multiple times to have their engagement register.

Like I said, strange. Perhaps an attempt to control a ratio narrative by Twitter?

Related: Harry Potter Scribe J.K. Rowling Accused of Transphobia After Supporting Fired Researcher Maya Forstater

Reinvigorated Interest In J.K. Rowling

Recent events, such as the spread of a new rumor that HBO Max is developing a Harry Potter series and the ongoing development of the Hogwarts Legacy video game have sparked a renewed interest in Rowling’s controversial tweets, the latter of which has drawn the ire of mainstream game journalists due to the discovery that one of the developers, Troy Leavitt, previously ran an “anti-social justice” a YouTube channel.

In addition to criticizing critical social justice theory in his videos, Leavitt had also argued against the rhetoric of feminists activist Anita Sarkeesian, coming out against her attacks on video games and defending the male perspective of gamers.

You can read our entry of it in the Daily Stupid.

Given that this user interface curiosity occurred on Twitter, where a bevy of disinformation is routinely allowed to be spread against political and social opponents by those in charge of the platform, one has to wonder if something might be taking place behind the scenes to control the number of the likes on Rowling’s tweet and change the narrative.

Furthermore, the accusations of transphobia against Hogwarts Legacy seem to be a non-issue, as the upcoming game has announced that they will allow players to create transgender characters.

But what do you think is happening with Rowling’s most controversial tweet? Sound off in the comments below or let’s talk about it on social media!

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