Steps singer Ian H Watkins has launched a fierce attack on JK Rowling and others who criticise the LGBTQI+ community, describing his new children’s book as “a big middle finger up to the b***ts.”
Watkins said: “There are a few, they are the minority, a few very powerful people making decisions that the majority do not agree with.”
The Harry Potter author has been vocal about trans issues for years and has consistently referred to transgender women as “men” following the Supreme Court’s April judgement.
Watkins’s book, Pride and the Rainbow Warriors, aims to teach children that being different is a superpower.
When asked what he would say to those using their platforms against progressive views, Watkins responded: “I would say ‘how dare you?’ How dare you challenge my existence?'”
“Queer people have always been here, we are here and we always will be here. So how dare you make me feel like a second-rate citizen?” he told The Daily Mail.
The singer was emphatic about his expectations: “I don’t want acceptance, I demand respect and every other LGBTQI+ person would say the same.”
He added: “There’s actual human beings involved. I think they are playing a political game. But at the end of the day, the bottom line is just be kind.”
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Watkins revealed the book stems from his childhood experiences in the Rhondda Valley during the 1980s and 1990s.
“It’s a little love letter to my younger self. It’s a book that I wish I had had when I was growing up. I was bullied. I was made to feel very different.”
The singer disclosed he frequently missed school due to name-calling and feeling isolated.
He came out publicly in 2007 in an interview with The Sun, describing the 1990s as “a very dark time for LGBTQ people.”
“You were demonised. You were painted as the devil,” he explained.
Watkins shares twin sons Macsen and Cybi with former partner Craig Ryder, welcoming them via surrogate in 2016.
Watkins’ comments come as JK Rowling was also recently criticised by Sir Stephen Fry, as he claimed that the Harry Potter creator has become “radicalised” in her views on trans rights.
Fry, who voiced all seven of the Harry Potter audio books, told The Show People podcast that JK Rowling is now a “lost cause” after being “radicalised by terfs”.
The broadcaster revealed his disappointment, saying he was “sorry because I always liked her company” and had found her “charming, funny, and interesting.”
He emphasised that “trans people are here and that they are hurting” and are “being abominably treated.”
