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An online feud broke out between singer-songwriter Boy George and J.K. Rowling on June 14, 2025, after the former posted a tweet calling Rowling a "rich bored bully." George posted the tweet as a response to a previous to-and-fro chat that Rowling was having with another netizen.
The original tweet in the chain was by the writer, in which she asked what rights were ever taken away from trans people. In his tweet, George wrote:
"The right to be left alone by a rich bored bully!"
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The feud between the two basically revolved around their views on gender identity.
Boy George's remarks prompted Rowling to upload another lengthy tweet. The author of Harry Potter wrote a list of points suggesting that there were significant differences between her and George. She started by stating that while she was a woman, George was a man.
The third point of the list by Rowling read:
"I've never been given 15 months for handcuffing a man to a wall and beating him with a chain."
In 2009, George had to spend months in jail after being convicted of assault and the false imprisonment of male escort Auden Carlsen.
Rowling went about claiming that for a significant time in her life, she had lived like a regular person. According to her, this made her understand the importance of "single-sex spaces for women who're reliant on state-funded services."
Further in the tweet, J.K. Rowling again spoke about Boy George's criminal records. She added that she'd not want to see men in women's prison cells. The writer concluded by remarking that she was a firm believer in freedom of speech and belief. In the end, Rowling addressed George and wrote:
"For a man who was once all about non-conformity, George, you couldn't have become more predictably or more tediously conformist."
J.K. Rowling was previously criticized by other celebrities for her views
This was not the first time that J.K. Rowling got bashed and became involved in a feud with a celebrity. According to an article by Women.com, Rowling has been under scrutiny since 2018 due to her views on gender identity. The article further reported that Rowling had in fact described herself as a TERF, aka trans-exclusionary radical feminist.
In June 2020, J.K. Rowling penned down her views on the matter in an essay on her official website. Shortly after this, the Harry Potter cast, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, released statements expressing solidarity with the trans community. In her tweet dated June 10, 2020, Watson wrote:
"Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are."
In April 2025, the UK Supreme Court ruled that biological sex is the only determining factor for legally defining a woman. At the time, Rowling was seen celebrating the decision by posting a photo of herself with a cigar and a drink. The photo came with a caption that read:
"I love it when a plan comes together."
This again led to massive scrutiny against her, particularly from celebrities. This includes actors Pedro Pascal and Bridgerton actresses Nicola Coughlan and Charithra Chandran.
Boy George had become the latest celebrity to criticize J.K. Rowling's views on gender identity. For the unversed, George is an English singer-songwriter and DJ. He gained fame particularly for being the lead vocalist of the pop band Culture Club.
