A JK Rowling tweet in response to police outlining efforts to tackle homophobia in an area where a doctor was murdered has drawn criticism online.
South Wales Police set up a rainbow-coloured information kiosk in Cardiff city centre last weekend to showcase their work in handling anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime as well as their promotion of inclusivity and diversity. The kiosk was close to the spot where doctor Gary Jenkins was brutally murdered in a homophobic attack by two men and one woman including Jason Edwards, from Liverpool.
The initial tweet regarding the community outreach efforts was soon flooded with comments from people who accused South Wales Police of "virtue signalling", and argued that police cars could be put to better use. The police force quickly responded by saying: “Supporting our communities is not virtual [sic] signalling and we make no apologies for doing so.”
READ MORE: Liverpool's LGBT+ community on the 'abhorrent' murder of Dr Gary Jenkins
The simple typo provoked more ridicule from Twitter users, including Harry Potter author JK Rowling. She tweeted: “Virtual signalling. Like virtue signalling, but for people who couldn’t be arsed.”
She did not elaborate on what had prompted the tweet or respond to any replies publicly, but many on Twitter said they felt it suggested she was critical of the police's efforts to raise awareness.
Head of Policy & Campaigns for Citizens Advice Cymru, Luke Young, tweeted: "At Dr Gary Jenkins’ vigil we called for the police to be visible allies, to work with the local community, and to protect all identities under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. Keep going @swpolice. Once again, JK Rowling doesn’t speak for us."
Grace Petrie responded to the writer by saying: "I don’t want to assume that this tweet is as badly motivated as it seems, so could you clarify that you’re not actually mocking the police for promoting the safety of the LGBT community in an area where a man was recently homophobically murdered."
@mcbeath_on_sea added: "You really don’t like the Police supporting the LGBT+ community, do you? I lived through the years when they actively made life difficult for gay people - so it’s good to see some effort to fix that. You are no ally of gay people."
Sacha Coward said: "When I came out at 15 and told my parents I was gay, I hid in my room and couldn’t stop crying. That night I read Prisoner Of Azkaban for comfort. I saw the world you created as a source of comfort and safety. So, wow. Every one of these tweets is a gut punch."
