'Wonder Woman' Lynda Carter defends trans rights amid J.K. Rowling's incessant transphobia

Lynda Carter this week proclaimed her unwavering support for the trans community when she took a stand against anti-trans vitriol in a now-viral tweet. Carter, who is best known for portraying Amazon princess and superhero icon Diana Prince in the live-action TV adaptation of "Wonder Woman" in the 1970s, on Tuesday tweeted a supportive message for the trans community. The beloved actress' message comes on the heels of once-beloved Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling's latest anti-trans tweet, which many trans activists strongly condemned for perpetuating a false narrative that trans women are predators.

"You don't have to be trans to understand the importance of respecting trans people and affirming their identities," Carter tweeted. "Life is just too short. I can't imagine how it makes any sense to use one's fame and resources to put others down." The tweet has been liked over 111k times since being posted and attracted praise from many who are tired of their childhood heroes turning out to be awful in real life. "Linda, thank you for being a light in a world that isn't always kind trans and nonbinary people. I know you're going to get some backlash for speaking out for us, but I want you to know it matters. A lot," tweeted award-winning writer and LGBTQ advocate, Amanda Jette Knox.

"I have so much love and respect for you as a human being & as a cultural icon. Thank you for living up to & exceeding every possible expectation tiny me had when running around in my Wonder Woman Underoos," commented author Michelle Belanger. Although Carter's message doesn't explicitly reference Rowling, the timing of her tweet does point to the 56-year-old's latest controversial comment. On Sunday, Rowling shared a link to a news story by The Times titled "'Absurdity' of police logging rapists as women" with the tweet: "War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman."

Rowling's tweet followed Police Scotland's recent announcement that they would respect the gender self-identification of people accused of sexual assault. Unsurprisingly, the author's problematic views on trans people sparked outrage from members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies, who called her out for "punching down" at a historically marginalised community. "You created an entire universe filled with wonderful characters, fantastical beasts, magic & wonder, but can't fathom that trans people exist? You've gone downhill from the inspiring woman who wrote Harry Potter from her car," tweeted @JTheGhoul.

As writer Noah Berlatsky points out in his recent op-ed for the Independent, "Rowling has an established history of tweeting 'gender-critical' views which many view as transphobic. In particular, she has embraced longstanding stereotypes which frame trans women as perpetrators of violence and especially of sexual violence." However, there are reportedly zero recorded cases of trans women assaulting anyone in bathrooms in the US. Instead, records show that trans women are disproportionately victims of sexual violence. According to Human Rights Campaign, the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey found that 47% of transgender people are sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetime.

"Rowling — through her tweets, her advocacy and her fiction — seems to imagine a world in which trans women are privileged predators working with a compliant police force to assault innocent cis women. In fact, trans women are a small, marginalized, vulnerable minority, who face terrifying rates of sexual violence from, among others, the police who are supposed to help them," writes Berlatsky. "It's my belief that if Rowling really wanted to advocate for victims of violence, she would advocate for trans women, who are disproportionately victims; and if she wanted to advocate for victims of violence, she would want a police force that respects marginalized people, not one that embraces bigotry."