J.K. Rowling Perfectly Shuts Down Homophobic Ex-Fan on Twitter
There’s something fantastic about well-known authors and how they engage with fans (and critics) on Twitter. Like a pro golfer down at the local putt-putt mini-golf course or a musician trying to compose a ring-tone-length song, some authors on social media are demonstrating their ability to take their work—and their beliefs—and condense it into a small space. For Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling, the quick one-liner Twitter accommodates ends up being as much a work of art as her novel-length contributions.
Over the weekend, Rowling responded to one self-professed former fan who was apparently still upset about the nearly seven-year-old revelation that Dumbledore was gay.
“Once u revealed Dumbledore was homosexual I stopped being a fan,” the user tweeted. “Nice how u blindsided us with that one. Enjoy your billion $.”
Shortly thereafter, Rowling responded, “I advise you to start following Brian Souter at once. He’s much more your kind of person.”
Souter, as one may or may not know, is a Scottish anti-gay activist who had once led a campaign urging the Scottish parliament to leave Section 2A of the Local Government Act in place. The act, which was eventually repealed in 2000, had stated that local governments “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality,” and banning governments from “[promoting] the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.”
Soon after, Rowling found herself on the receiving end of a torrent of nasty tweets, using misogynistic and homophobic slurs. Her response? To paraphrase from one of her most beloved characters.
“I want to thank all the people tweeting me lovely messages,” she wrote. “Don’t worry about me—to paraphrase Albus Dumbledore. . .If you’re waiting for universal popularity, you’ll be on Twitter a VERY long time. xxxx.”
And that, friends, is how you shut down hate.
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