A claim circulating online in July 2026 alleged that author J.K. Rowling shared an “upskirt” photograph of a transgender woman named Freda Wallace on social media.
The report indicates that Rowling did indeed post a photo that could be described as an “upskirt” image, which is a voyeuristic photograph taken to reveal the crotch area of someone wearing a skirt or dress.
Rowling shared the image on X (formerly Twitter) on July 11, 2026. She also used Freda Wallace’s deadname in her post, a practice considered offensive as it refers to a transgender person by a birth name they no longer use.
In her post, Rowling stated, “Sadly, [deadname]’s refusing to debate me. To prove I have no hard feelings, and that [deadname] does engage with some lucky women, here’s a picture of him debating @HJoyceGender. I hear he left an indelible impression on the audience. And the chair.” The account mentioned belonged to anti-trans author Helen Joyce, who wrote “Trans: Gender Identity and the New Battle for Women’s Rights.”
Joyce and Wallace were participants in a panel discussion titled “Transgender Ideology: A Threat to Liberal Values?” held on October 25, 2023, at the Institute of Economic Affairs in London. A video of the panel is available on the organization’s YouTube channel, and Wallace’s clothing in the video matches the attire seen in the photograph Rowling posted. It remains unclear who originally took the photograph.
Rowling’s post was part of a series of tweets on July 11 where she criticized Wallace for allegedly declining to engage in an online debate. In a later tweet, Rowling defended her decision to share the photograph, stating it was from “a public event that was filmed with all participants’ knowledge.” She responded to a user who questioned the appropriateness of a man posting such a photo of a woman by saying, “[Deadname] chose the fishnets and miniskirt. [Deadname] boasted on stage about what he does with his female penis. You may feel squeamish about this picture, but [deadname] is a paraphilic exhibitionist who was having the time of his life.”
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