Azealia Banks Defends Trans Community, Criticizes J.K. Rowling

Azealia Banks, who has a history of making transphobic comments, has once again taken aim at J.K. Rowling this time in defense of the trans community.

Banks Calls Out Rowling's Views

Banks responded to an X post from user Imtiaz Mahmood, which detailed Rowling’s struggles before finding fame with Harry Potter. The post referenced her marriage to an ex-husband who allegedly abused her. In a now-deleted quote tweet, Banks used a transphobic slur while suggesting that Rowling’s anti-trans stance stems from personal resentment.

“Maybe her husband at 27 cheated on her with a Tr***ylicious diva, and that’s why she’s dedicated every waking moment to making sure her life’s legacy is dedicated to harassing people who make up less than 1% of the global population,” Banks, 33, wrote.

She followed up with a series of tweets criticizing anti-trans rhetoric, arguing that those who perpetuate violence against trans women could also harm cisgender women.

Criticizing Anti-Trans Sentiment

“Highkey all this anti-trans stuff is really just giving the weird people who solicit transwomen for sex and murder them more fuel to become murderous psychopaths,” Banks tweeted. “Because if u think a chaser psycho only limits his victims to transwomen and won't also murder females ur f****** r*******.”

She then shifted the conversation to legislation, stating, “Nothing in any legislature lists identifying as male or female as a crime, but murder is listed as a serious crime everywhere in the world.” Banks argued that the right to life should take priority over debates about sports and bathrooms.

In another post, she mocked fears about trans women preying on cis women, comparing them to hypothetical concerns about older lesbians in locker rooms.

“And TRUST ME, THE DOLLS ARE NOT PREYING ON YA LITTLE FISHY COOTER CAT HONEY,” she wrote. “If that is the rationale, then can I be the first to say I would not like to be in a locker room with any creepy old white Rosie O’Donnell-looking type ds cause the old white ds really be trying it.”

Despite her current stance, Banks has been criticized for transphobic comments in the past. In 2021, she claimed trans women were “hot gay boys with beat faces and plastic surgery” and stated, “getting castrated doesn’t automatically make them a female.”

More recently, Banks attempted to soften her views in a tweet directed at Rowling, insisting she isn’t threatened by trans women and accusing the author of masking insecurity with “science.” She also revealed that her brother is trans, saying she has witnessed his struggles firsthand.