Trans creators on Bluesky are raising the alarm after multiple users were suspended for posts expressing negative sentiments about J.K. Rowling—including ones that didn’t mention violence or threats.
The controversy began when trans writer and YouTuber Jessie Earl (aka Jessie Gender) was suspended for 24 hours after simply posting: “I also wish ill on JK Rowling.”
When they returned, they admitted they were disappointed with the way BlueSky handled the situation.
I’m back! I saw your messages on here & elsewhere—thank you all <3. I’m deeply disappointed in @bsky.app moderation; equating pushback against people like JKR with the harm they cause to trans ppl only enables more violence. I’ll talk more soon but even a day away from social media has been healthy.
— Jessie Gender (@jessiegender.bsky.social) August 16, 2025 at 3:57 PM
They also clarified they "wish on JK Rowling everything that she wishes upon trans people."
And let me be clear -- I wish on JK Rowling everything that she wishes upon trans people.
— Jessie Gender (@jessiegender.bsky.social) August 16, 2025 at 3:58 PM
The post that originally got Earl banned was a quote of another trans writer, Gretchen Felker-Martin, whose own account had been suspended after she wrote, “I hope someone splits her skull.” Felker-Martin responded to the ongoing controversy by telling the BlueSky mods to "pull your heads out of your asses."
Mods can you pull your heads out of your asses and unban Jessie Gender?
— Gretchen Felker-Martin 🍉 (@scumbelievable.bsky.social) August 16, 2025 at 7:43 AM
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Earl’s quote made no mention of Felker-Martin’s phrasing, but Bluesky moderators lumped their post into a violation involving “threats of violence” and “incitement of self-harm,” according to an investigative report by Assigned Media. The report quoted Earl saying the phrasing “was mild—especially compared to Rowling’s own rhetoric about trans people.”
Other trans users who posted similar variations, including author Dani Finn, were also briefly suspended. However, the report also noted that BlueSky largely left smaller accounts alone.
Finn’s post was later reinstated, and Bluesky admitted it had been wrongly removed. Earl and Felker-Martins’s posts have not been restored.
In a muddled statement, Bluesky said only Felker-Martin’s post violated the platform’s terms. But users say the pattern—suspending trans voices criticizing Rowling, while ignoring worse rhetoric elsewhere—suggests something more worrying.
Although some queer celebrities like WNBA star Breanna Stewart argue there should be a platform where people can love Harry Potter while also speaking out against Rowling, users note that simply “wishing ill” on someone isn’t the same as abuse, especially considering the harmful language Rowling uses against the community.
“If their definition of ‘harm’ includes ‘wishing ill,’ words have lost all meaning,” Finn said. “They can censor any criticism they don’t like.”