'Harry Potter' author JK Rowling slams transgender runner who competed in Paralympic Games

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"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling slammed transgender runner Valentina Petrillo as a "cheat" in a post on X after Petrillo failed to qualify for the women’s final in the Paralympic Games.

Petrillo finished in third place in women’s T12 400-meter sprint. The 50-year-old athlete, who began transitioning in 2019, qualified for the semifinal with a time of 58.35 in the first round heat. Petrillo finished second in the heat without a guide.

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"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling slammed transgender runner Valentina Petrillo as a "cheat" in a post on X after Petrillo failed to qualify for the women’s final in the Paralympic Games. (Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)

Petrillo’s eligibility on the women’s side of the Paralympics in Paris caused backlash in the weeks leading up to the Games. Petrillo faced backlash from Rowling on Monday.

"Why all the anger about the inspirational Petrillo? The cheat community has never had this kind of visibility!" Rowling wrote on X. "Out and proud cheats like Petrillo prove the era of cheat-shaming is over. What a role model! I say we give Lance Armstrong his medals back and move on."

When one X user pushed back on Rowling’s statement that Petrillo was cheating, the author responded.

"Stereotypes are simplistic/prejudiced blanket assumptions about a demographic that don't correlate with the facts," she wrote. "I know all trans people aren't cheats. However, knowing you have an unfair advantage and exploiting it anyway is pretty much the textbook definition of cheating."

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