Oxfam caves to pressure and deletes Pride video containing the supposed likeness of JK Rowling

Oxfam has come under fire on Twitter for a short animation it posted as part of its #ProtectThePride campaign. Critics claimed that a red-eyed, snarling figure wearing a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) badge resembled author J.K. Rowling. In recent years, Rowling has become increasingly known for her anti-trans opinions.

Oxfam’s video

Oxfam quickly took down the video and issued a statement of apology. However, the charity denied that the likeness was intentional.

As Pink News reported:

Created by Falana Films, a Bangalore-based, women-led studio, the minute-long cartoon looked at the various ways queer people are denied basic human rights, as well as the means by which people can protect and champion safety for LGBTQ+ communities.

The video became the source of criticism for showing a character wearing a TERF badge alongside two other characters, meant to represent the hate groups that attack LGBTQ+ communities online and offline.

Cue the inevitable pile-on from the various transphobic corners of Twitter. We’ll leave aside for a moment the irony of seeing a demonic redhead cartoon character growling at an LGBT group and immediately assuming that it must be Rowling.

Sure enough, Oxfam quickly caved to the pressure. It first posted that it had taken the video down:

We have removed the post because of concerns raised with us. We will re-post shortly #ProtectThePride

— Oxfam International (@Oxfam) June 6, 2023

Then, the charity also shared an edited version of the video. It removed references to TERFs as a hate group, along with the supposed likeness of Rowling. This came with a lengthy apology:

We are posting the updated video below, please re-share to show solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community. None of us are safe until all of us are safe. This June, we call you to #ProtectThePride! pic.twitter.com/1iN4nFzmiX

— Oxfam International (@Oxfam) June 6, 2023

Oxfam’s statement accompanying the new video read:

Oxfam believes that all people should be able to make decisions which affect their lives, enjoy their rights and live a life free of discrimination and violence, including people from LGBTQIA+ communities.

In efforts to make an important point about the real harm caused by transphobia, we made a mistake.

We have therefore edited the video to remove the term TERF and we are sorry for the offence it caused. There was no intention by Oxfam or the film-makers for this slide to have portrayed any particular person or people.

We fully support both an individual’s rights to hold their philosophical beliefs and a person’s right to have their identity respected, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics.

Rowling and the TERFs

The thing is, though, it’s somewhat difficult to ascertain the transphobic crowd’s motivation in objecting to the video. For the sake of argument, let’s assume that the figure in the video was Rowling.

There are problems with the ‘TERF’ label, to be sure. There’s very little that’s radical about the idea of excluding trans people. Many mainstream politicians share it – Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, and Kemi Badenoch amongst them – along with some distinctly anti-feminist figures and a whole bunch of literal Nazis.

That aside, ‘TERF’ is a label that Rowling has very much associated herself with. For example, she posted a lengthy diatribe on her website. When she shared the same post on Twitter she did so by calling it ‘TERF wars‘. Likewise, she posted a tweet wishing people a “Merry Terfmas”.

If the objection is that Rowling isn’t opposed to trans people and their rights, that doesn’t hold much water either. Her lengthy diatribe mentioned above included “five reasons for being worried about the new trans activism”. She famously likened the trans rights movement to the death eaters, the villains from her own book, calling it a “powerful, insidious, misogynistic movement”. And, she flat-out ignored trans men’s existence in her rant on the use of the phrase “people who menstruate”.

Of course, Rowling did insist that she isn’t transphobic, and would “march with [trans people] if [they] were discriminated against on the basis of being trans”. However, during a time of rising transphobic hate crime, such support hasn’t been forthcoming.

#OxfamHatesWomen

Now, despite taking down the video, the hashtag ‘Oxfam hates women’ has gained a flood of transphobic support on Twitter. Except, it isn’t women that Oxfam depicted in a negative light, is it? It’s transphobes, who are not synonymous with women. In fact, on average, women are far more likely to be trans inclusive than men.

Oxfam’s capitulation is as predictable as it is disappointing. We are already seeing brands quietly walking back their support for queer causes as transphobic and homophobic hatred mounts.

Charities, brands, and all public-facing organisations must learn one thing very rapidly. Support for LGBTQ+ people no longer comes for free. The slings and arrows aimed at trans people will also be levelled at their allies – now, we will see who stands firm, and who quietly walks away.

Featured image via screenshot Twitter/OxfamInternational