Judy Blume says her quote about being 'behind' J.K. Rowling was 'taken out of context' as she clarifies support for the trans community

Judy Blume is clarifying her support for the transgender community after sharing in a new interview with the Sunday Times that she is "behind" fellow author J.K. Rowling "100%," which some took as an expression of support for the Harry Potter author's controversial views on sex and gender.

"I love her," Blume, whose 1970 book Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. has been adapted into a film being released on April 28, told Sunday Times writer Hadley Freeman of Rowling. "I am behind her 100% as I watch from afar." Freeman, who has frequently covered gender-critical feminism, wrote that Blume's quotes was "referring to the abuse Rowling has received for speaking up in defense of women’s sex-based rights." But in a new statement, Blume says otherwise.

Taking to social media on Sunday after her quote from the paywalled article went viral, Blume, 85, claimed that her quote about Rowling had been "taken out of context." According to Blume, she was referring to the vitriol and threats Rowling says she has dealt with as a result of sharing her views, which many have called transphobic. The Blubber author stressed her own support for the trans community.

"I wholly support the trans community," Blume shared. "My point, which was taken out of context, is that I can empathize with a writer — or person — who has been harassed online. I stand with the trans community and vehemently disagree with anyone who does not fully support equality and acceptance for LGBTQIA+ people. Anything to the contrary is total bulls**t."

Blume went on to direct her fans to a recent interview she gave to Variety, in which she spoke out against book bans, many of which center on LGBTQ content.

“What are you protecting your children from?" she told the outlet. "Protecting your children means educating them and arming them with knowledge, and reading and supporting what they want to read. No child is going to become transgender or gay or lesbian because they read a book. It’s not going to happen. They may say, ‘Oh, this is just like me. This is what I’m feeling and thinking about.' Or, ‘I’m interested in this because I have friends who may be gay, bi, lesbian.’ They want to know!”

In a speech earlier this month, Blume also drew parallels to the censorship attempts she herself encountered as a writer who introduced young readers to topics like puberty and sexuality

"With me it was sexuality, and specifically puberty — which to some people was a very dirty word. It wasn’t something the censors wanted to talk about with their kids," she said during Variety's Power of Women luncheon in early April. "You know — if they don’t read about it, they won’t know about it, and if they don’t know about it, it will never happen to them … guess what."