JK Rowling: Arrest Me Because I Called Trans Women 'Men'

Harry Potter author throws down gauntlet over Scottish hate-crime law

- Chris Riches

JK ROWLING dared police to arrest her for calling several trans women "men" as Scotland's new Hate Crime and Public Order Bill came into force yesterday.

The Harry Potter author has long criticised the law, which criminalises "stirring up hatred" relating to age, disability, religion, sexual orientation or transgender identity.

It will be up to police to decide if a crime has been committed, with a the maximum seven-year jail term.

Misgendering

The SNP claims the law provides protection without stifling freedom of speech. But Scottish minister Siobhian Brown admitted yesterday that, under the new law, critics such as Rowling could be "investigated" for misgendering someone online.

Rowling, 58, who campaigns on women's issues, lashed out in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, in which she branded several trans women "men". They included Scottish butcher Amy George, 53, also known as Andrew Miller, who was jailed for 20 years last year for abducting and sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl while dressed in women's clothes.