Author JK Rowling has sparked speculation that she may now be arrested following the introduction of a brand new hate crime law in Scotland.
Born in England, Rowling moved to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, within the Nineties, before publishing any of Harry Potter books that made her a household name and considered one of the richest women in Britain
However, lately she has made headlines for sharing her much-discussed views on transgender people, which some LGBTQ+ activists have deemed “transphobic”, which she has at all times denied.
Rowling has attracted attention for deliberately misleading transgender people and now could find herself in hot water under Scotland’s recent Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill, in keeping with a minister from the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP).
– said Siobhian Brown, Minister for Victims and Community Safety Daily Telegraph. that, for instance, calling a transgender woman “he” as a substitute of the pronouns corresponding to her gender identity could be considered a criminal offense.
“It can be reported and an investigation can be carried out. “Whether or not the police consider this a crime is a matter for Police Scotland,” she said.
Brown added that Police Scotland had received “a lot of training over the last year” on the new law, which came into force on Monday, and was confident of enforcing it properly.
“The bill sets a very high threshold, which is up to Police Scotland, and what would have to be said online or in person would be threatening and offensive,” she said.
But Brown went on to clarify that while the SNP supports “everyone’s freedom of expression”, it’s unacceptable for people “in our society to live in fear or be made to feel like they don’t belong”, she told the BBC Radio 4 program Today. She also added that Rowling “had no right to make people feel uncomfortable or judge someone badly,” but that ultimately what happened in individual circumstances would be as much as the police.
Newsweek reached out to Rowling’s representative via email for comment.
The revised hate law expands existing law that got here into force a long time ago to forestall racist abuse and criminalizes “incitement of hatred”.
Rowling responds to the brand new law
Reactions to the bill were mixed: Rowling vowed to proceed “calling a man a man” after the “ridiculous law” comes into force. Telegraph.
On Monday, Rowling doubled down on Series X, formerly Twitter, in a series of posts.
“In passing Scotland’s Hate Crime Bill, Scottish lawmakers appear to have given more weight to the feelings of men pursuing their idea of femininity, however misogynistically or opportunistically, than to the rights and freedoms of actual women and girls,” she wrote.
“The recent laws is wide open to abuse by activists who wish to silence those of us who talk in regards to the dangers of eliminating same-sex spaces for girls and girls, the nonsense drawn from crime data when violence and assaults are recorded sexual crimes committed by men as women’s crimes, the grotesque injustice of allowing men to compete in women’s sports, the injustice of ladies’s work, [honors] and opportunities utilized by trans-identified men and the fact and immutability of biological sex.
Rowling added: “It is impossible to accurately describe or address violence and sexual violence against women and girls, or to address the current attacks on the rights of women and girls, if we are not allowed to call a man a man.
“Freedom of speech and belief in Scotland will end if accurate descriptions of biological sex are criminalized.”
She then shared several posts about transgender women – a few of them related to criminal cases – and stated: “Of course, the people mentioned in the above tweets are not women at all, but men, down to one of them.”
She concluded the post: “I’m currently abroad, but if what I’ve written here qualifies as a crime under the new law, I can’t wait to be arrested when I return to the birthplace of a Scottish citizen.” Enlightenment.”
Although Rowling disputes the possibility of an arrest, it currently appears unlikely that the writer will be detained by authorities upon her return to Scotland.
Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf told Britain’s Sky News on Monday: “If your behavior isn’t threatening or abusive and never intended to incite hatred, you may have nothing to fret about.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak supported Rowling in her criticism of the new law.
“People should not be penalized for stating simple facts in biology,” Sunak said in a shared statement Telegraph. “We believe in free speech in this country and conservatives will always protect it.”
Views on transgender issues
Rowling sparked controversy in 2019 when she publicly supported Maya Forstater, a British tax professional who was fired over tweets deemed anti-trans.
In an essay published on her personal website in June 2020, Rowling shared some of her views on transgender issues.
She wrote: “When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to each man who believes or feels that he’s a lady – and, as I said, gender confirmation certificates can now be issued without the necessity for surgery or hormones – then you definately open the door to each man, who wants to come back inside. It’s the straightforward truth.
In June 2020, Rowling responded to an article that referred to “people who menstruate” by writing on Twitter: “I’m sure there used to be a term for these people. Someone help me. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”
Although some trans activists called Rowling a “TERF” – an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist – she stood her ground on the problem.
Rowling wrote in X on the time: “If sex isn’t real, there is no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the reality of women everywhere is erased. I know and love trans people, but I erase this concept. Sex robs many people of their ability to constructively discuss their lives. “Speaking the truth is not hate.”
“I respect every transgender person’s right to live in a way that feels authentic and comfortable to them,” she added. “I would march with you if you faced discrimination for being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being a woman. “I don’t think it’s hateful for me to say that.”
Several actors associated with Harry Potter franchise publicly disagreed with her, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
In July 2021, Rowling stated on Twitter that she had received a “pipe bomb” threat over an attack on her previous statements about transgender women.
She continued to speak out about the way the internet has “cancelled” her by posting in support of singer Macy Gray, who made several controversial comments in July 2022 about the definition of a woman.
Gray faced backlash on Twitter, prompting Rowling to write a response: “Endless threats of death and rape, threats to lose one’s livelihood, employers being targeted, physical harassment, family address posted online with photo of bomb making instructions are not.” mean comments.” ‘ If you do not yet understand what is going on to the ladies who speak out on this matter, please back off.’
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