J.K. Rowling Jumps Into Ongoing WNBA Trans Inclusion Drama
Rowling’s remarks come after two former NBA players claimed to be declaring for the WNBA draft.
J.K Rowling attends HBO’s “Finding The Way Home” World Premiere at Hudson Yards. Photo by Cindy Ord/WireImage
There’s an unfortunate new development underway regarding the ongoing WNBA trans inclusion drama: J.K. Rowling has entered the chat.
To get to Rowling, first, we have to back up a bit. In recent days, two former NBA players have announced their interest in pretending to be women and going out for the WNBA. This is, of course, a very blatant stunt to try to force the WNBA to tighten the rules surrounding who is considered a woman and can be drafted for the league.
“I’m transgender. I’m a woman. I identify as sometimes identifying as a woman for purpose of basketball, professional basketball, so I’ll be declaring for the WNBA draft in 2027,” Royce White, who flopped out of the NBA after playing just three games in 2014, told Fox News.
Meanwhile, Enes Kanter Freedom similarly declared himself a “WNBA prospect,” saying that “if simply declaring who you are is all that’s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA.” He also claimed that he doesn’t intend to “mock, make fun of, or disrespect any community or personal choices,” although everything about his statement suggests otherwise.
The anti-trans folks have set aside the usual “shut up and entertain us” energy they love to spew at famous people who speak about causes they disagree with and have instead praised these two brave sports warriors for making a spectacle of themselves.
Over on X, journalist Andrew Mercado called out the absurdity of this whole charade by pointing out there are no men (or trans women, for that matter) currently playing in the WNBA.
“Neither man identifies as trans, nor sincerely identifies as a woman. This is a calculated dog whistle aimed at mocking trans people and manufacturing outrage,” he wrote. “They think they’re playing 4D chess, but they’re literally men attempting to force themselves into women’s sports so they can pretend their invented threat was real all along.”
Cue J.K. Rowling.
Like a moth to a flame—or an anti-trans crusader to the mere whiff of support for trans people—the author appeared on X, patronizingly trying to poke holes in Mercardo’s statement.
“You say some men ‘sincerely’ identify as women, but that these two men aren’t sincere,” she wrote. “Do sincere men injure fewer women and girls than the insincere ones? How do we test for sincerity? What if a Sincerity Jury is split? Very much looking forward to your answers.”
Mercado took her to task, pointing out what should be obvious to anyone approaching the conversation without an obstinate anti-trans bias that defies both logic and empathy—neither man actually identifies as a woman. They both made it extremely clear that they’re doing this as a stunt. Therefore, there’s simply no reason to “test for sincerity,” as they proclaimed their own insincerity as soon as they opened their mouths.
“Anti-trans activists invented a problem and are now acting it out to make it appear real,” Mercado concluded.
He wasn’t the only one to point this out, but Rowling predictably doubled down, and continued to make very little sense in the process.
.@AndrewMercado You say some men ‘sincerely’ identify as women, but that these two men aren’t sincere. Do sincere men injure fewer women and girls than the insincere ones? How do we test for sincerity? What if a Sincerity Jury is split? Very much looking forward to your answers. https://t.co/WBg4ez9BKU
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 9, 2026
I'm shocked to hear that a man who identifies as a woman could be a danger to women and children. I've been told ad nauseam that this simply never happens. Surely it's transphobic to suggest that predators or abusers might identify as trans?
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 9, 2026
Two abusive men identify as women. How do we know which one's 'really' trans? And as all available evidence show that trans-identified men have the same pattern of criminality as other men, why should women care?
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 9, 2026
Despite Rowling’s commentary, absolutely nothing of value can be gleaned from this stunt by former NBA players, as it doesn’t actually have anything to do with trans people.
