Published July 17, 2026

A rumor that writer J.K. Rowling, author of the popular "Harry Potter" book series-turned-anti-transgender crusader, posted an alleged "upskirt" photo of a trans woman on social media circulated online in July 2026. 

People on social media platforms expressed concern at the alleged post, some accusing Rowling of also responding to the online backlash by stating the woman "was asking for it because of the way she was dressed."

One post sarcastically said Rowling was "demonstrating her commitment to women's dignity by sharing a photograph of a trans woman's underwear with fourteen million people."

Here's JK Rowling, dead naming and posting up-skirting photos of trans woman Freda Wallace on to Twitter. 

(I've cropped the bottom part of the image off because I'm not a disgusting creep and, as far as I know, up-skirting photos are illegal.) pic.twitter.com/ZlF1jSobu8

— Miffy (@miffythegamer) July 11, 2026

It was true that Rowling posted a photo that could reasonably be considered an "upskirt" photo, meaning a voyeuristic image intended to show the crotch area of a person wearing a dress or skirt. 

Snopes reached out to Wallace and Rowling for comment and will update this article if we hear back. 

Rowling posted the photo on X on July 11, 2026, according to the timestamp on the post, archived here. Rowling used Freda's deadname in her post, an offensive tactic of using a trans person's birth name that they no longer identify with.

Rowling said, "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 Rowling tagged in the post was anti-trans author Helen Joyce, who wrote a book called "Trans: Gender Identity and the New Battle for Women's Rights." 

Joyce and Wallace were part of a panel called "Transgender Ideology: A Threat to Liberal Values?" that took place on Oct. 25, 2023, at the Institute of Economic Affairs in London. 

The panel is available to watch on the organization's YouTube channel, and Wallace's attire matches that shown in the photo Rowling posted, though it was unclear who took the photograph she shared. 

In a blog about the event, Royce said Wallace had "ample rope with which to hang themselves" during the discussion. 

Rowling's post was one of a long string of tweets on July 11 in which she attacked Wallace for allegedly refusing to debate her online while Rowling claimed to be getting her nails done. 

Rowling's seventh post in the thread included the photograph of Wallace, which she later defended as being from "a public event that was filmed with all participants' knowledge" responding to a question from another user who asked, "What would you think of a man who posted a photo like this of any woman?"

Rowling, deadnaming Freda in all of the posts about her, said, "[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."

For further reading, other recent claims we've investigated regarding Rowling included rumors she appeared in the Epstein files and that language learning app Duolingo tweeted an apology to Rowling after calling her "mean" in one of its language lessons. 

By Joey Esposito

Joey Esposito has written for a variety of entertainment publications. He's into music, video games ... and birds.