JK Rowling is under fire for defending a woman who lost her job after saying trans women aren't real women

JK Rowling is under fire after she defended a UK-based tax expert who made transphobic comments and was terminated from her job due to her statements.

In March 2019, Maya Forstater was fired from her job at the Centre for Global Development in the UK after she publicly said via Twitter that "men cannot change into women."

"Radically expanding the legal definition of 'women' so that it can include both males and females makes it a meaningless concept, and will undermine women's rights & protections for vulnerable women & girls," Forstater tweeted on September 2, 2018.

After her termination, Forstater sued CGD, saying the company's choice went against UK's 2010 Equality Act, which bars employers from punishing staff for their beliefs. Forstater argued that law made it a crime to fire her for her views on gender transition. 

But on Wednesday, Judge James Tayler, who presided over the case, said Forstater's view is "not a philosophical belief protected by the Equality Act" and "is not worthy of respect in a democratic society," so her firing still stands.

On Thursday, "Harry Potter" author Rowling came to Forstater's defense with a tweet saying "Dress however you please. Call yourself whatever you like. Sleep with any consenting adult who'll have you. Live your best life in peace and security. But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real? #IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotADrill"

Many have since called out Rowling for her hurtful message, saying it was transphobic and factually incorrect.

Critics say Rowling's comments invalidate and disrespect transgender people

Soon after Rowling published her tweet in support of Forstater, people began criticizing the author, who's been in a similar place before. In March 2018, she liked a tweet that referred to trans women as "men in dress," Them previously reported.

And, in 2017, Rowling liked another tweet that promoted a transphobic Medium article.

GLAAD, the world's largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, tweeted a response to Rowling, saying her comments deny "the basic humanity of people who are transgender. Trans and non-binary people are not a threat to women, and to imply otherwise puts trans people at risk."

Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, also published a tweet in response to Rowling's:

Still, some continued to defend Rowling for her stance, saying it aligned with science and that there are only two biological sexes.

In response, HRC employee Charlotte Clymer posted a Twitter thread to explain that many scientific experts and organizations recognize transgender people as valid in the sex with which they identify and that science doesn't support a biological sex binary, or the idea that just "male" and "female" sexes exist.

"If you truly respect science, you respect trans people," Clymer wrote.

JK Rowling's representatives told Insider she and her team will not be commenting on this issue.

• Read more:
• 5 ways to support transgender men and non-binary people during pregnancy
• A transgender woman says she was forced to remove her makeup with hand sanitizer for a DMV photo
• How to use Lex, a queer dating app with no profile photos or cisgender men