Olga does her best to stay strong for her children, but it is hard to hide the growing fear she has for her husband’s future as the conflict engulfing their country inches closer to their home. Video / World Vision / NZ Herald
Vladimir Putin says the West is trying to "cancel" Russia and its history just as it did to JK Rowling for her views on gender identity, provoking an angry response from the Harry Potter author.
In a carefully choreographed speech to Russian artists on Friday, Putin attempted to liken the West's ostracisation of his country to the disavowal of Rowling in some circles after she shared her views on sexual identity and trans people.
Comparing the ideological "culture wars" to Russia's actual invasion of Ukraine, Putin said: "They cancelled Joanne Rowling recently, the children's author. Her books are published all over the world. Just because she did not satisfy the demands of gender rights."
His words sparked a quick riposte from Rowling, who said: "Critiques of Western cancel culture are possibly not best made by those currently slaughtering civilians for the crime of resistance, or who jail and poison their critics."
Russia is in the grip of Western sanctions, but many global organisations have implemented their own policies, further stymying the country on the world stage.
St Petersburg will no longer hold this year's Champions League final, and the Russian Grand Prix, in Sochi, has been cancelled.
The Royal Opera House has pulled a planned residency by Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet, the Munich Philharmonic has parted ways with its chief conductor, Valery Gergiev, over his ties to Putin and Russia has been thrown out of Eurovision.
"Critiques of Western cancel culture are possibly not best made by those currently slaughtering civilians for the crime of resistance": JK Rowling's response to Putin's comments. Photo / AP
"They are trying to cancel our country. I am talking about the progressive discrimination of everything to do with Russia - this trend that is unfolding in a number of Western states," Putin said.
On Thursday the Russian embassy in France tweeted - and then deleted - a cartoon showing a corpse labelled with the word "Europe" being injected with a syringe labelled "cancel culture".
The 69-year-old, who often paints himself as a picture of virile masculinity, said last year that Russia should adhere to its own "spiritual values and historical traditions", while mocking the West for its "sociocultural disturbances".
Going further, he said the notion that children are "taught that a boy can become a girl and vice versa" is monstrous and "on the verge of a crime against humanity".
He has likened the new wave of trans activism to a "new strain of a pandemic".
"If someone thinks that women and men are the same thing, then be my guest," he said.
"But there is common sense. I stick to the traditional approach that a woman is a woman, a man is a man, a mum is a mum, and a dad is a dad."
Transgender Russians have also been allowed to change their legal gender on identity documents since 1997, although there are many obstacles to the process and invasive surgical requirements remain in place, according to the Council for Global Equality.
In 2013, the Russian Duma passed legal amendments prohibiting "propaganda" of non-traditional sexual relationships among minors.
Vladimir Putin has claimed the West is "trying to cancel" Russia like they cancelled JK Rowling. Photo / AP
Same-sex marriage "will not happen" as long as he's in the Kremlin, Putin said in 2020.
With eyes drawn to her Twitter feed, Rowling detailed the work her Lumos charity is doing in Ukraine.
"Children trapped in orphanages and other institutions are exceptionally vulnerable right now," she said.
"Thank you so, so much to everyone who has already donated to Lumos' Ukraine appeal."
When JK Rowling sat in that cafe all those years ago, there’s no way she could have known she’d one day be endorsed by Vladimir Putin. Never give up on your dreams.
The author, who also writes under the pen name Robert Galbraith, said she was personally matching all donations to the Lumos emergency appeal up to £1 million.
Rowling first sparked debate on gender identity when she retweeted an opinion piece discussing "people who menstruate".
The 56-year-old tweeted: "'People who menstruate.' I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?"
Despite a backlash from trans advocates, Rowling doubled down, saying: "If sex isn't real, there's no same-sex attraction. If sex isn't real, the lived reality of women globally is erased.
"I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn't hate to speak the truth.
Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with young award-winning culture professionals in Moscow, Russia. Photo / AP
"I respect every trans person's right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I'd march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it's hateful to say so."
The author went on to write an essay explaining how she was partly motivated to speak about transgender issues because of her experience of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
However, she has continued to face criticism for her beliefs, with Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint all weighing into the debate, saying that they support the trans community.
