J.K. Rowling continues to be one of the biggest villains of the transgender movement.

Rowling believes women are women, men are men and spaces for women should be protected from biological men. And for this, she has received attacks and threats from trans activists.

While speaking with host Megan Phelps-Roper on “The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling” podcast, the wildly successful author said she stands by her beliefs.

“I thought about it deeply and hard and long and I’ve listened, I promise, to the other side,” she said. “And I believe, absolutely, that there is something dangerous about this movement and that it must be challenged.”

Rowling admits she knew what she was getting herself into.

“When I first became interested in, and then deeply troubled by, what I saw as a cultural movement that was illiberal in its methods and questionable in its ideas, I absolutely knew that if I spoke out, many people who love my books would be deeply unhappy with me,” she said.

The 57-year-old author said the trans activist movement “echoes the very thing that I was warning against in ‘Harry Potter.’”

“In fact, a ton of Potter fans are grateful that I said what I said,”

And although she admitted it would have been easier not to get involved, Rowling said she feels she’s doing the right thing.

“I am fighting what I see as a powerful, insidious, misogynistic movement, that has gained huge purchase in very influential areas of society,” Rowling said. “I do not see this particular movement as either benign or powerless, so I’m afraid I stand with the women who are fighting to be heard against threats of loss of livelihood and threats to their safety.”

J.K. Rowling is not afraid to stand up for women.

And she first ruffled feathers in 2020 when she sent out a tweet suggesting that “people who menstruate” could simply be called “women.”

That initial tweet garnered a lot of backlash, but Rowling didn’t relent. She wrote about her views in more detail.

In the months following, woke activists and celebrities — including the star actors in the “Harry Potter” movies — spoke out against Rowling.

And it got even more asinine from there.

Quidditch — which Rowling literally invented – became “quad ball.” Then, critics called for a boycott of a new video game, Hogwarts Legacy, due to a lack of “queer” people in the development of the game. Even Rowling’s own friends begged her not to go public with her beliefs on gender ideology.

Still, she won’t kneel at the feet of the mob.

In a world where regular people can lose their jobs and be labeled transphobic bigots simply for acknowledging biological reality, high-profile voices like J.K. Rowling’s are so important.

She doesn’t care about legacy, cancellation or money. Because her legacy is undeniable, she’s un-cancellable and she’s already worth about $1 billion.

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Layne Ingram’s advocacy for Greater Lansing’s transgender community has landed him a spot on national television.

Ingram is scheduled to be on the Dr. Phil TV show at 4 p.m. Friday on CBS with Olympic swimmer Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Harvard University human evolutionary biology professor Carole Hooven and swimmer Riley Gaines, who competed against trans woman Lia Thomas.

The Lansing Community College’s women’s basketball coach said a producer contacted him in the summer after reading his excerpt in a 2021 USA Today article exploring the political discourse surrounding transgender youth in sports.

“I hope that (the audience members) get an understanding that sports do so much for people and that we’re talking about kids,” Ingram said. “All kids deserve the opportunity to belong and interact with their peers. I hope they see a person who’s just like anyone they’ve met — a Black guy who’s smart and being a good citizen.”

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Dear Bette Midler,

You are glorious and magnificent, and I am hoping you are busy sewing up mermaid tails and adding more sparkles to your ever growing Harlettes’ tattered hemlines. I want to thank you for your work as a singer, an actor and an advocate for a clean earth and a bright future. Recently, I read a tweet of yours concerning Caitlyn Jenner and it seemed to me you might have been a bit confused on some things. So, I grabbed my e-cig, made some tea, sat myself on the porch at 1 a.m. on a Saturday night and alongside my two kitties, I wrote you a lengthy missive. Since then, the HRC has gotten a hold of you and you have deleted the offensive tweet and apologized.

To them.

Only.

So it seems to me that the original letter I wrote, along with some updated tweaks, is still regrettably necessary, and to be honest, I would very much like to see if perhaps I can clear a few things up.

To be clear… Caitlyn Jenner is not a drag queen. She cannot change into what she was because what she was, was actually a lie. So… she never really was Bruce Jenner. Being Trans isn’t a fad, or a choice or a decision. It isn’t something we can change or discard. Being Trans is how we were born and where we come from and it is our history and our great privilege. Being Trans is steeped in revolution and sweat and rides on the backs of a bloody and battered tribe, free to finally live a life usually drowning in shame and regret. Being Trans is a right and we are Americans, just like you, and what we are, as what you are, cannot be undone.

So when you ask a question publicly, even half kidding as I know you were, that suggests that since Cailtyn’s show has been cancelled, she might:

“…Go back to being Bruce.”

… You are undoing what took us years to do and has cost us lives to finalize.

I cannot take my Transness off, Ms. Midler, and it has taken me 54 years of survival through centuries of violence and suicides, to finally make friends with my past. And I will not be the butt of your jokes simply because you cannot take the time to write from a place of truth, instead of a place of fear.

The danger of what you tweeted is your influence on public opinion and your blatant disregard for the Trans experience and a glaring lack of compassion towards a people you do not know. I am asking with as much openness as I can, to rethink what you put out in to the universe. I am forever with you in your love of nature and beauty, and in your constant quest of camp and art for art’s sake, but I will not support you in your ignorance of my brothers and sisters as we still lay at the mercy of an under educated government bureaucracy and a misguided and sometimes lethal populous.

Our Trans youth don’t live very long, Bette. And when they die, they do it with guns and ropes and pills and leaping off the edges of buildings. Giving their tormentors misinformation that already incites a sense of righteous indignation in them by suggesting they are merely in costume, is not only irresponsible, it is terribly cruel.

The LGBT community adores you. We have given you our souls in the common understanding that both of us come from both adversity and triumph. We see that in you. We recognize you. We know each other very deeply. And now, a community who has recently been in the forefront of a new revolutionary cracking needs to rely on our allies for kindness in print and education in actions.

What I am is not a choice. It is a gift.

Please know Bette that your deleting of the tweet and subsequent apology is deeply appreciated and received. However, I believe there is a difference between an apology and an amend. One requires regret and the other requires ownership. Think of it this way, if you had written that Michelle Obama was a highly intelligent and very successful woman for a black person, and the NAACP called you on it, would you apologize to them alone? Or would you take time to speak to the African-American community at large, as well as Mrs. Obama personally, and hopefully look into what would make you react this way in the first place. Joke or not. Racism and transphobia run hand in hand. Both thrive on ignorance of community. It seems to me you might have some more diligence due. Look inward, Ms. Midler that has always been where your truest self lies.

I am saying this to you both for me and for the ones who can no longer speak:

“Kindness in the center of a spirit is easily accessed through the reflection of one’s own deeds. For it does not matter that you understand us. It only matters that you honor us.”

Treat us as we have treated you, Bette. That’s all we want, really.

Sincerely, and with all the sequins I can find,

Alexandra Billings

Lifelong Fan and Transgender Activist

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“The View” co-host is an executive producer on “Strut,” a series centered on Slay Model Management – the very first modeling agency to represent transgender models exclusively, reported by People.

“This show is important right now, because for all of the positive advances the community has made and continues to make, transgender is still a hot-button word that gets people hysterical,” Goldberg reportedly said in a statement. “People tend to focus on the stereotype instead of the person, and this series will give viewers a unique opportunity to spend time with real people who are struggling with the same challenges we all face as we make our way through the world.”

The show comes in an important cultural moment for transgender visibility, when trans and gender-nonconforming individuals are being exposed to a wave of anti-queer legislation in Southern states, including North Carolina’s House Bill 2.

Transgender models are not new, however the cultural fascination with transgender individuals are certainly providing them with a far more visible platform. Many other agencies specifically serving trans models have established themselves previously years, including Trans Models agency in NYC.

Carmen Carrera also became one of the most famous trans models on the planet when she transitioned after her time on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Carrera proceeded to become the subject of a petition to help make her the very first openly trans Victoria’s Secret Angel.

Discussing “Strut,” Goldberg added, “You may even be surprised to discover that you have been seeing and interacting with transgender men and women in ways you didn’t even realize!”

“Strut” is slated to premiere on Oxygen later this year.

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“What about little boys, the vast majority of the little boys that get molested are preyed on by adult men, this law doesn’t affect them one way or the other”

Some really great points about a serious subject in a seriously funny rant.

You can go to Trae’s YouTube channel to see more of his comedy. Or check out his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter at @traecrowder.

Here’s a comprehensive list of great books for kids — novels, picture books, workbooks, memoirs and profiles — that deal with transgender and intersex issues, gender non-conformity and sexual orientation as it relates to trans people. (There are so many good ones, especially in the last few years, that we couldn’t narrow it down any further!) All are well reviewed, many are award winners, a few are bestsellers and (surprise, surprise) two made the 2015 list of most challenged books. We’ve put them in order of age appropriateness:

Actor Scott Turner Schofield is officially joining the cast of the CBS daytime soap The Bold and the Beautiful on May 8, marking the first time a transgender actor will play major, recurring role on a daytime soap in the U.S.

Schofield will play a character named Nick who is a mentor to fashion model Maya Avant, a trans woman.

Schofield said of the soap, “I am an expert on this stuff, and I do study it. I’ve seen everything there is to see and I am telling you that it is unprecedented and it’s going in the right direction. It’s going in the direction that transgender people can be happy about. And not only transgender people, but everyone who knows and loves a transgender person.”

Related: Diversity speaker Scott Turner Schofield speaks to TEDx Houston about transgender identity and ending gender.

If you aren’t familiar, Camp Aranu’tiq is a camp for transgender and gender-variant youth. Founded in 2009, the camp sought to fill the need for these children that might not be accepted at traditional camps. The rap was part of their yearly talent show performance to showcase the unique talents and gifts of it’s campers. From their website:

Aranu’tiq was founded in 2009 by Nick Teich, who dreamed of a safe & fun place for youth who felt like they might not fit in at other camps because of their gender and/or who wanted to be with others like them. We launched our first summer week in New England in 2010 with 41 campers. We now have our very own camp in New Hampshire! We have our flagship summer camps in NH & CA as well as leadership programs for older teens and weekend family camps, serving 400 campers over the course of one year.

We’re absolutely in love with this kid. Check out the video to see the rap or read the lyrics below.

So I had a little story I’d like to share / about something I went through that might seem pretty weird / Please try and imagine if this was you / or you might have something that you can relate it to / So I was just a little kid about 7 or 8 / and I had something to say that could no longer wait / So I went to my mom that hot day in July / with a hope in my heart and a tear in my eye / Basically I said this girl is your son / and I’ve always felt this way and it hasn’t been fun / We sat there together for a little while / I thought she was sad but then I saw her smile / She told me I was brave and that she was so proud / that I came to her so she could help me sort things out. My family and friends / were also on board / and the support that I got / just had me floored / And from that day on / I started my path / and we worked together / and even faced some wrath / Together we can weather / whatever this life brings / and we’ll continue to love / and I’ll continue to sing / And I know that there are other kids / who feel like I do / and I truly understand / what they are going through / Thank you all for sitting here / and taking the time / to let me tell my message / in the form of a rhyme / Please treat everyone / the way you expect / we all deserve freedom, love and respect.