J.K. Rowling has once again sparked outrage online, this time in response to President Donald Trump’s latest executive order targeting transgender athletes.
Since being inaugurated on January 20, Donald Trump has wasted no time signing executive orders - many of which have impacted the transgender community.
One of the 78-year-old president's latest actions is an executive order barring transgender women from competing in female sports, including those at the school level.
Titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," the policy mandates "immediate enforcement" against schools and athletic associations that allow trans women to compete in female-only sports or access single-sex changing rooms, Sky News reported.
Ahead of signing the order, the two-time leader said: "We've gotten the woke lunacy out of our military and now we're getting it out of women's sports."
He also spoke about the coming Olympics and World Cup which the US is hosting, and said he wouldn't allow any transgender athletes to compete.
"In Los Angeles in 2028, my administration will not stand by and watch men beat and batter female athletes," he said. "We're not going to let it happen."
"Just to make sure, I'm also directing our secretary of homeland security to deny any and all visa applications made by men attempting to fraudulently enter the US while identifying as women athletes to try and get into the games," he added.
The Harry Potter author, who has long been known for her polarizing views on gender identity, quickly responded to Trump’s order with a sarcastic jab at left-wing activists.
Sharing a picture of the president surrounded by young women and girls after he had signed the order, Rowling wrote: "Congratulations to every single person on the left who’s been campaigning to destroy women’s and girls’ rights."
"Without you, there’d be no images like this," she added.
This isn’t the first time the 59-year-old has made headlines for her views on transgender athletes.
During last year’s Olympics, she publicly criticized Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, questioning her gender despite Khelif being born female and not identifying as transgender or intersex.
Rowling accused Khelif of "shattering" her opponent’s "life’s ambition," and doubled down on her stance that women’s sports should be for cisgender women only.
The writer's controversial comments on gender and transgender rights have led to a growing divide between her and the stars of the Harry Potter franchise.
Daniel Radcliffe, who played the boy wizard himself, distanced himself from the author in an essay for the LGBTQ+ organization The Trevor Project, where he apologized for any "pain" Rowling’s remarks may have caused the transgender community, per Hollywood Reporter.
Emma Watson, who portrayed Hermione Granger, also voiced her support for trans rights, telling her followers: "I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you, and love you for who you are."