Glamour magazine honors nine men with its 'Women of the Year Awards' and J.K. Rowling comes out against it

The UK edition of Glamour magazine sparked controversy and intense debate on social media by including nine men on its honor roll for the "Women of the Year" 2025 awards.

The editorial decision, presented as a tribute to "women pioneers" has been celebrated by activists, but criticized by public figures who see the publication as a blurring of gender categories.

In that regard, the magazine notes, “As trans rights face increasing threat in the UK, Glamour honours nine of the community's most ground-breaking voices at this year's Women of the Year Awards. From fashion and music to charity and activism work, these trailblazers work tirelessly to empower, uplift and celebrate trans voices.”

The honorees

The figures honored on the cover are Munroe Bergdorf, Maxine Heron, Taira, Munya, Bel Priestly, Dani St James, Ceval Omar, Mya Mehmi and Shon Faye - they posed for the magazine's cover wearing T-shirts with the slogan "Protect the Dolls," a term used in the queer community to refer to trans women. The garments were designed by American creator Conner Ives.

Among the honored figures was Munroe Bergdorf, a 38-year-old model and activist known for her work in diversity campaigning and her honorary doctorate from the University of Brighton in 2019 for her work in trans rights.

In the interview with Glamour, Bergdorf emphasized, “I think that it is time that we have the conversation about protecting the transgender community, especially trans women who are being so heavily targeted. But I think it’s really important that we then finish that sentence and talk about what we are protecting the dolls from.”

Other figures such as Dani St James, founder of the NGO Not A Phase for trans adults in the United Kingdom, stressed the importance of "trans sisterhood" in difficult times, urging to "grab onto each other" in the face of crises in employment, housing and access to healthcare.

Criticism on X

The cover and ad, released Wednesday, have polarized opinions on platforms such as X. Some users called the editorial decision "misogynistic" and a betrayal of traditional female readers.

The author of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, known for her critical stances, responded with a tweet that has garnered thousands of interactions.

Rowling wrote on X: "I grew up in an era when mainstream women’s magazines told girls they needed to be thinner and prettier. Now mainstream women’s magazines tell girls that men are better women than they are.”

Rapper and author Zuby, a vocal critic of the movement, was equally blunt on X and responded to Rowling's post by noting, “the 'trans movement' is easily the most misogynistic movement in modern history. Especially because of it's scale and mainstream acceptance.”

For her part, Jill Foster, a writer and freelancer, ironized about the editorial decision, “I was curious to find out who was behind the egregious editorial decision to make nine males with breast implants Glamour’s ‘women of the year’. It’s exactly as you would expect but ends on a note of FAFO-ist hope.”