J.K. Rowling Under Fire for Dismissing Asexuality Day as "Fake Oppression"

Author J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books sparked a global franchise and a fanbase that spans generations. But that doesn’t give her a free pass to say something offensive and just walk away without repercussions.

Rowling has faced major backlash over the years, most notably for her anti-trans rhetoric. And now, in April 2025, she’s once again stirred the pot, this time over remarks aimed at asexual individuals.

She keeps dipping her toes into sensitive conversations, but the way she does it is sparking some very strong reactions. Here’s what she said and how people are responding.

J.K. Rowling posted a pretty bold comment on X on April 6, 2025, which happened to be International Asexuality Day, a day observed since 2021. You might not even know about it, especially since Apple and other phone makers have removed lesser-known holidays from calendar apps.

For context, asexuality refers to a person who experiences little or no sexual attraction to others but can still form emotional attachments to people. In other words, they can be in relationships, they just don't experience sexual attraction the way many others do.

Rowling wrote on X: "Happy International Fake Oppression Day to everyone who wants complete strangers to know they don't fancy a shag."

Rowling claims the holiday is about oppression, but according to the International Asexuality Day (IAD) website, the four themes of the day are "advocacy, celebration, education, and solidarity." There's nothing about oppression in the stated mission. Rather, it seems to be a day for raising awareness of identities across the ace spectrum.

It seems like International Asexuality Day is simply meant to remind us that this group exists and that not everyone is interested in physical connection — and that’s OK.

Rowling’s comments were pretty out there. And the fact that she kept posting — even adding, "I want an International Bored Of This S--t Day" — is what has a lot of folks feeling shocked, and frankly, offended. Perhaps if she had viewed it as a day of awareness, rather than the world constantly trying to define everyone by their sexual identities, she might’ve been able to drop a less harsh comment.

Overall, folks were pretty upset over Rowling’s asexuality comments. Though one person pointed out the never-ending list of international days being observed, and another sarcastically chimed in, "I'm hoping there's an International Left-Handers Day for those of us who suffer a minor inconvenience when using scissors," many understood that the existence of this day isn't a personal attack on them.

For those not siding with Rowling, things got heated, with one person floating the idea of a "Burn J.K. Rowling Book Day." Others were quick to tell her to shift her attention back to her allegedly black mold-infested home.