When J.K. Rowling defied the Scottish government in light of the new law being implemented.

J.K. Rowling is one of the world’s most renowned authors since she penned the Harry Potter series. Unfortunately, Rowling has long since left her magical world to take up arms against trans individuals, particularly trans women.

Violence against the trans community has been on the rise of late, mostly due to fear-mongering by prominent public figures. To combat such hate crimes, the Scottish government has come up with a law that would hold such people culpable. Rowling, unsurprisingly, is against it.

Rowling defied the Scottish authorities on social media (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

J.K. Rowling is against the Scottish government enforcing the new act to protect the LGBTQIA+ community

J.K. Rowling rose to prominence as the author of the beloved Harry Potter series. The books saw an unprecedented level of hype, which were then successfully adapted into films. The author reveled in the adoration of fans worldwide as she sought to expand into the mystery genre with the Strike series.

Rowling has come a long way since then. Over the years, she has been quite vocal about her views on gender and biological s*x. She has often raised her voice against the trans community, thus making her stance about being gender-critical very clear. The author did it again as Scotland looked to implement a new law to curb hate crimes against the LGBTQIA+ community.

The Scottish Parliament passed the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, on March 11, 2021. The law was finally implemented on April 1st of this year, which serves to provide protection against offenses with regard to age, disability, religion, s*xual orientation, and transgender identity.

Rowling went on a tirade on social media (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Since the law was passed, J.K. Rowling went on a tirade on social media, as she shared a lengthy thread. She went on to list 10 trans women who were convicted of crimes such as r*pe, going so far as to call the offenders men.

Rowling felt that the law places greater importance on “men” than “the freedoms of actual women,” she wrote on her Twitter handle. Moreover, any criticism of gender ideology now also falls under the purview of this law. Moreover, the author felt that the new law fails to protect women, the group that fits her definition.

The Harry Potter author mocked the authorities with her tweets. She further added that if her statements were deemed offensive, she would gladly be arrested.

J.K. Rowling finds support for her stance

J.K. Rowling has become an extremely polarizing figure, particularly on social media. However, her words still hold weight, and she has the power to influence many, even though they might have consequences.

The author started a massive controversy with her statements on Twitter. The British government came out in support. Britain’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, also backed Rowling. Football pundit Ally McCoist extended his support to the author.
The Harry Potter author will not be arrested (Source: Twitter, @jk_rowling)
Since the law came into effect, complaints have started to pile up, particularly against Rowling. The Scottish Police added that no action would be taken against her.

The law has been heavily debated, especially because many feel it interferes with freedom of speech. Others feel that the protection of minority groups is more important. As the debates rage on, no one should overlook how this affects the trans community.