Cancel Culture vs Free Speech Thoughts

[Luna]

Firstly, a bit of background information about an example of what I think is a good case of cancel culture versus free speech:

So JK Rowling, who is the author of the Harry Potter series, has been embroiled in controversy since June 2020 when she released a statement about transgender issues. She has since been “cancelled,” her books boycotted, and been declared a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist). A lot of debates have been surrounding her for the past three years with many Harry Potter fans learning to separate the art from the artist or leaving the books behind altogether and JKR has been the source of ridicule on the internet for a while. I’m the statement and in an essay she later posted she talked about her concerns of women’s spaces being opened to people assigned male at birth however identify as female, argued that biological sex is real, the idea of erasing the difference between sex and gender will have largely negative affects on cis women, as well as a few other things.

What is everyone’s thoughts on this? Does JKR Rowling deserve all of this backlash? What are you’re thoughts on her statement itself?

[Barbara]

My thought is that there is a difference between opinion and fact. For example, if Rowling or someone says "I don't think women's spaces should be opened to transgender females" (biological males who transition and now identify as females) - that is an opinion. She might think it's not right or appropriate, other people might disagree.
But the sex you are born is a biological and genetic fact, you are biologically male or female, You can transition though hormone treatments and surgery and modify your appearance so that you appear as the sex that is opposite your biology, but you are not changing the essential biology, and if someone says that, they are stating what is a scientific fact. For the past few years people have been told to "follow the science" - does that just mean when it comes to vaccines or disease, but in other areas of science we treat it like opinion?
Generally, I am not in favor of people being cancelled for having an opinion that's different from mine and I think it's pretty odd for cancelling someone who states a fact.

[All_Hales , Assistant Mod ~ Books]

I agree with @Barbara, here in America we have the freedom of speech and should not be cancelled for doing so when others disagree.