JK Rowling has revealed for the first time that she has survived domestic abuse and sexual assault in a long and personal essay in response to harsh criticism that erupted online after her comments about transgender people.
"I'm mentioning these things now, not as an attempt to win people's sympathy, but as solidarity for many women who have experienced a story like mine," she said.
The essay came after comments on Twitter provoked criticism because the writer of "Harry Potter" stated that transgender women are not women and pointed out the concept of sex, forgetting that it is not a debate that seeks to erase the existence of sex, but to distinguish between the latter and gender identity. Rowling's stances were also opposed by the actor who played the role of "Harry Potter", Daniel Radcliffe.
"It's not easy to write about this, but I know it's time. I managed to escape the first violent marriage and now I am married to a wonderful and principled man. However, the wounds will never go away, no matter how much love you get or how much money you make, ?she said.
Rowling married Jorge Arantes in 1992 and later transferred to Portugal as an English teacher. Their daughter Jessica was born in 1993, the year JK Rowling ended his marriage and wrote "Harry Potter," which transformed his life.
"I have been in the public eye for more than 20 years and I have never spoken publicly about domestic abuse and sexual assault. This is not because I am ashamed of what happened to me, but because it is traumatic for you to remember them again. I also have a responsibility to the girl from the first marriage, as it is a story that belongs to her as well. However, some time ago I asked her how she would feel if I spoke publicly about this part of my life and she encouraged me to do so. ?
In another paragraph of the essay, the writer confesses that perhaps "she would have been subjected to the process of transformation from woman to man."
"I faced severe OCD in my teens. If I could find an online community that I didn't have in reality, I believe I would be convinced to become the boy my father said he would have preferred. "
The writer writes that the criticism brought her back "to a very dark place inside the brain" referring to the memories of the sexual assault she suffered in her 20s. "The attack happened at a time when I was vulnerable and a man took the opportunity." She did not identify the person who sexually assaulted her.
He went on to say that he "does not claim to be sorry for anyone." "I'm a survivor, of course not a victim."
