JK Rowling embroiled in transgender row with Billy Bragg

JK Rowling has attacked "bearded men defining what a woman is" in a social media row with singer Billy Bragg.

Bragg tweeted a video of Graham Norton being interviewed at Cheltenham Literature Festival this week, in which he said cancel culture was people correctly being held accountable for their words or actions.

Norton also declined to comment on the backlash Rowling received after sharing her views on transgenderism, adding that anyone interested in the subject should consult those directly affected.

Bragg wrote alongside the post: "Norton really good here on John Cleese, telling him that ‘cancel culture’ is just accountability, and JK Rowling, suggesting that the media talk directly to trans teens and their parents rather than merely amplifying the takes of a celebrity."

Rowling then responded: "Very much enjoying the recent spate of bearded men stepping confidently onto their soapboxes to define what a woman is and throw their support behind rape and death threats to those who dare disagree.

"You may mock, but takes real bravery to come out as an Old Testament prophet."

Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Norton said of cancel culture: “The word is the wrong word. I think the word should be ‘accountability’.

“John Cleese has been very public recently about complaining about what you can’t say.

“It must be very hard to be a man of a certain age who's been able to say whatever he likes for years, and now suddenly there’s some accountability."