Oxfam could face investigation by the Charity Commission after fury at Pride cartoon ‘depicting JK Rowling as anti-trans demon’ in video
- There have been calls for a boycott of the charity from gender campaigners
Oxfam could face an investigation by the Charity Commission after the furious reaction to a cartoon Pride video it released appearing to show JK Rowling as an ‘anti-trans villain’.
The Government watchdog is said to be assessing concerns surrounding the charity and is considering its next move after the row which has engulfed it since the video shared on its social media accounts.
The video featured three figures with evil-looking eyes – two men, and a woman wearing a ‘TERF’ ([trans-exclusionary radical feminists) badge who appeared to look like the Harry Potter author.
The charity has insisted any likeness is coincidental and it quickly removed the footage from its social media – but campaigners say people with gender-critical views like Ms Rowling’s could be marginalised at the organisation.
It comes as one former employee claims they were forced out of Oxfam over her support for the author and arguing its bookshops should continue to stock her published works.
JK Rowling, pictured here at the Broadway opening of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, is understood to have seen the cartoon and liked a tweet criticising the depiction of the cartoon character
The cartoon had been released by Oxfam International using the hashtag #ProtectThePride in support of Pride month, which celebrates LGBTQ people.
READ MORE HERE: Maria loved her job at Oxfam, but then stuck up for JK Rowling on a staff chatroom… cue a hate campaign and internal inquiry which destroyed her health and career
Sources told the Times that the video itself was produced by the same arm of the charity, which is not under the jurisdiction of the Charity Commission.
A Charity Commission spokesman told the publication: ‘We are aware of concerns in relation to Oxfam and are assessing information to inform any next steps.’
MailOnline has contacted the Charity Commission separately for comment.
Ms Rowling is understood to have seen the cartoon and liked a tweet criticising the depiction of the cartoon character. She declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.
Oxfam had insisted it was not supposed to be based on anyone and said it would re-release a cut version of the cartoon. The version it later published had completely removed the scene.
But speaking yesterday, Maya Forstater, the co-founder of the Sex Matters campaign, said it sent a terrible message to charity volunteers and customers.
She told Times radio: ‘I was shocked. It cuts to a picture which clearly looks like JK Rowling. It looks like it was traced from a picture of her at a premiere.
‘Imagine working in Oxfam and sharing the same views as JK Rowling and seeing that. The message would have been approved by Oxfam staff.
‘People who are ringing up to complain are being told by Oxfam GB are being told this is broadly what their values are.
Ms Forstater and Ms Rowling are good friends and share similar views on women’s rights
This picture of JK Rowling at the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald premiere in Paris in 2018 appears to be very similar to the cartoon woman depicted
‘Yes there is a right to offend but there is not the right to make the work place hostile. Anyone who thinks sex is real and sex is important will fear for their job.
‘If you look at the volunteer in Oxfam shops they are often older women that would be described as TERFs in that video.’
The cartoon character in the original appeared to resemble Ms Rowling’s usual haircut and style, as well as a green dress she has been pictured wearing. A memorial poppy she wore in the real image – taken at a 2018 film premiere – is replaced with a badge, bearing the word ‘Terf’.
The acronym stands for Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist, a view the author has denied having.
It came on the same day the charity was accused of hounding out a volunteer for defending the writer. A former worker – calling herself Maria – said she was accused of transphobia before settling with the charity, which apologised for its handling of the process.
Philosopher Kathleen Stock criticised the advert on Twitter yesterday
The video is less than a minute long and was made for Oxfam by Bangalore-based Falana Films
Philosopher Kathleen Stock criticised the advert on Twitter yesterday, saying: ‘This has shocked me – a still from an Oxfam video, made in support of Pride month.’
READ MORE HERE: Oxfam faces boycott calls over ‘Terf’ Pride cartoon ‘depicting JK Rowling’
Other Twitter users called for a boycott of Oxfam, alleging they would no longer be making donations to the establishment. Many also urged others to make formal complaints against the firm.
Supporters of Ms Rowling said she should consider legal action against the charity over the video.
An hour after being by MailOnline about the similarities between the cartoon and the writer, Oxfam took the video down.
It then said: ‘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.’
Maya Forstater, a business studies and international development researcher, accused the charity of ‘demonising safeguarding, demonising older women, promoting double-mastectomies to children, bulk harassment of gender -critical staff
JK Rowling, 57, is attacked online by pro-trans campaigners regularly over her views
The video, which was made by Bangalore-based Falana Films, is less than a minute long.
It tells the story of LGBTQIA+ people around the world and how they are deprived of basic safety.
The film says they are ‘preyed on by hate groups online and offline’ and shows depictions of social media sites.
Three individuals are then shown – the two men and a woman – pointing at the LGBTQIA+ people.
Falana Films did not respond when asked why the figure had been portrayed like that and it not address whether it had been specifically commissioned to appear that way.
The depiction was not unnoticed by Ms Rowling’s supporters online.
One wrote: ‘I hope JK Rowling sues Oxfam.’
JK Rowling has previously described former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon as a ‘destroyer of women’s rights’
Another said it was an ‘utterly disgusting piece of propaganda… using the word TERF on what is obviously meant to be JK Rowling’.
It came as a volunteer at an Oxfam bookshop – known as Maria – received an apology from the charity after allegedly being ‘hounded’ out for defending the writer.
It prompted an investigation which saw Maria have a nervous breakdown and leave the job and the country.
READ MORE HERE: Irvine Welsh says JK Rowling has been ‘demonized’ as ‘some kind of witch’ in bitter transgender debate
She said members of an LGBTQ+ group encouraged colleagues to complain about the discussion, accusing her of transphobia.
Maria claimed constructive dismissal and belief discrimination. In July last year, both parties agreed to settle, with Oxfam issuing a public apology for its handling of the process.
JK Rowling has repeatedly been branded transphobic over her views surrounding the rights of trans people.
She came under fire in early June 2020 over tweets she posted.
Referring to an article that referenced ‘people who menstruate’, the author tweeted: ‘I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?’
The stance prompted some Harry Potter stars such as Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe to speak out against her views.
The author has been campaigning for women’s rights and female-only spaces amid fears predatory men could poses as trans women to use them.
Ms Watson made her remarks after Ms Rowling wrote an essay to address the controversy, revealing she was sexually assaulted in her 20s and still felt the scars of ‘domestic violence’ in her first marriage.
Ms Watson said at the time: ‘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.
‘I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are.’
Other Twitter users called for a boycott of Oxfam, alleging they would no longer be making donations to the establishment
She added that she was proud to donate to charities such as Mermaids and Mama Cash and encouraged her fans to do the same.
In Radcliffe’s statement, he wrote: ‘To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you.
‘Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I.
‘While Jo is unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken, as someone who has been honored to work with and continues to contribute to The Trevor Project for the last decade, and just as a human being, I feel compelled to say something at this moment.’
Source: Read Full Article
