Transgender Activists Warn J.K. Rowling To Delete Her Tweets After New Bill Passes. Here Is Her Response.
In the wake of a "ludicrous" bill passed by the Scottish Government that affords significant "protections" for transgenders at the expense of other citizens, transgender activists and their allies continue to harass J.K. for her unwavering commitment to biological reality.
![Getty Images](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.datocms-assets.com%2F109366%2F1710788114-jk-rowling-edited.png%3Far64%3DNTo2%26crop%3Dfaces%26fit%3Dcrop%26fm%3Dwebp&w=1920&q=75)
The controversy began on March 17th, when Rowling voiced her concern about the new bill.
According to journalist Alex Massie, the Hate Crime Bill is "ridiculous, patronising and dystopian" for many reasons, but particularly because it affords protections to men who dress up as women but excludes actual women. Characteristics such as "age, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, and transgender identity" are listed, but actual sex (as in, biological sex) is not.
"Hate crimes" are already focused on these "aggravating factors" rather than the crime itself (i.e. what makes something a "hate crime" and not just a regular crime is the supposed social motivation behind it, such as racism), but this particular bill takes government overreach a step further by adding that people can now be prosecuted for simply "stirring up hatred," a phrase that is barely even defined by those who created it.
Despite the fact that actually prosecuting such "crimes" will likely be impossible given other more reasonable laws still in place, Scottish police officers and members of Parliament are insisting that the bill actually criminalizes unpleasant or hurtful speech. They've also made it clear that the bill is primarily focused on punishing young white men with conservative views who they view as "socially excluded communities” and “most likely to commit a hate crime" because “they may have deep-rooted feelings of being socially and economically disadvantaged, combined with ideas about white-male entitlement."
Naturally, Rowling saw the disturbing implications of such a bill and shared her concerns, and the frenzy began. One user named Rajan Barot suggested that Rowling "start deleting" her tweets because the bill goes into effect on April 1st, 2024, to which she responded, "If you genuinely imagine I’d delete posts calling a man a man, so as not to be prosecuted under this ludicrous law, stand by for the mother of all April Fools’ jokes."
Barot attempted to clap back with a long list of reasons why he's morally superior to Rowling and more inclusive, but the bestselling author wasn't in the mood for such nonsense.
For those unfamiliar with the controversy surrounding India Willoughby, here's a quick summary: Willoughby is a transgender broadcaster who has threatened Rowling with legal action for "misgendering."
The conflict began with a commenter on X who criticized Rowling for her opposition to men using women's private spaces. The user sent Rowling a video of India Willoughby and asked if Rowling really believed Willoughby should be forced to use the men's locker room.
"You've sent me the wrong video," Rowling responded. "There isn't a lady in this one, just a man [reveling] in his misogynistic performance of what he thinks 'woman' means: narcissistic, shallow, and exhibitionist."
Then the X user asked how Willoughby could be a misogynist if "she [became] a woman," to which Rowling responded: "India didn't become a woman. India is cosplaying a misogynistic male fantasy of what a woman is."
As usual, Rowling remains undeterred by gaslighting and threats, and many X users thanked her for standing strong for women and sanity in general.
Evie deserves to be heard. Support our cause and help women reclaim their femininity by subscribing today.