Harry Potter author JK Rowling has ridiculed the Globe Theatre’s portrayal of Joan of Arc as non-binary after women’s rights campaigners said the switch was ‘insulting and damaging’.
Ms Rowling is a long-time campaigner of women’s rights and has spoken out over concerns on transgender people having access to women-only spaces.
MailOnline’s exclusive yesterday on Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre’s new portrayal of Joan of Arc as non-binary and using the pronouns ‘they/them’ has sparked extensive backlash from feminists and historians.
And while Ms Rowling’s entry to the debate was the lightest of touches, it will be seen as hugely significant to supporters of her views and causes.
It came after a Twitter user criticised The Globe’s new I, Joan production.
Her remark of ‘Coming next: Napoleon was a woman because he was defeated at Waterloo’ was liked by Ms Rowling on the social media timeline.
It came moments after Heather Binning from Women’s Rights Network told MailOnline the play was damaging to women.
She said: ‘This demonstrates just how our arts and creative industries have taken on the woke mantle without realising that ‘being kind’ to one group of people actually hurts and damages another important and fundamental group.
‘Joan of Arc was female. Her early years were spent cooking and cleaning and looking after the animals. When she was 10 she had a vision that she was to fight for France. In order to do this she took on the outward appearance of being male.
‘This had nothing to do with ‘feelings’ and everything to do with the biological reality and disadvantage that being female brought. Many women throughout the ages have had to adopt ‘maleness’ in order to be taken seriously and advance their ambition.
