Now These Two Are Fighting?

ABLUpdated 1 month Ago2 Mins read13

Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images, Mike Marsland/WireImage

In one of the most Tuesday events of all time, rapper and self-described witch Azealia Banks and Harry Potter novelist J.K. Rowling are fighting on X. What is this about? How did this start? Don’t we have enough to worry about right now? Outside of being relentlessly online, neither of these people ought to know who the other is. This is the type of situation that demands more questions than answers, but here’s some of each to best explain what went down and why.

Who started it?

On March 16, Banks quote-tweeted a post from an account that seems mostly dedicated to anti-Muslim sentiments with the occasional unrelated inspirational post. The post Banks shared fell into the latter category, detailing Rowling’s struggles and eventual accomplishments. In her quote-tweet, Banks suggested that Rowling’s first husband, who abused her, might have “cheated on her with a Trannylicious 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.”

Well, why would Banks say this?

Rowling has, as Banks said, dedicated much of her recent life to targeting and harassing trans people. In fact, this isn’t the first time Banks tweeted about Rowling’s views on trans people, posting in February that “I think the dolls are fab and do not need to shade them or change myself because my femininity is not threatened by them. All of the insane anti-trans paranoid people like @jk_rowling feel their femininity is threatened for whatever reason and try to mask that insecurity with ‘science’ like anyone is stupid and doesn’t already know these things.”

Yeah, but isn’t Banks herself kind of homophobic?

She definitely has a history of making homophobic statements, yes.

So maybe she’s homophobic but rocks with trans people?

Well … she has also gotten into trouble over the past few years because of transphobic statements too. That said, Banks revealed in her rant against Rowling last month that she witnessed her trans brother’s pain and discomfort in his body, perhaps granting her a greater understanding of the community than she previously had.

When did Rowling chime in?

Rowling wrote back later that night that her abuse is a matter of public record, ignoring Banks’s inflammatory remarks about whether her ex was involved with a trans woman.

Did Banks leave it there?

No! Have you ever spent a day reading Azealia Banks’s tweets? She keeps going and going. Since that night, she has continued to go in on Rowling, who accused the rapper of tweeting her original statement for likes.

And Rowling?

She’s just back to tweeting her usual transphobic fare.