J.K. Rowling has taken to social media to challenge Scotland's new hate crime law, challenging authorities to arrest her if they deem her actions violate the legislation.
In a series of posts to X, the "Harry Potter" author, who is a resident of Edinburgh, referred to several transgender women as men, including convicted prisoners, trans activists, and other public figures.
Rowling argued that if accurate descriptions of biological sex were outlawed, it would signify the end of "freedom of speech and belief."
Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf, stated that the new law aims to address a "rising tide of hatred," BBC reported.
The Hate Crime and Public Order Act 2021 introduces a new offense called "stirring up hatred" based on age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity, or being intersex. Notably, the law does not protect women as a group, but the Scottish government plans to address this in a separate misogyny law.
Rowling has been a longstanding critic of certain transgender activism. She weighed in on the matter the day the legislation came into effect.
"Scottish lawmakers seem to have placed higher value on the feelings of men performing their idea of femaleness, however misogynistically or opportunistically, than on the rights and freedoms of actual women and girls," she wrote.
"It is impossible to accurately describe or tackle the reality of violence and sexual violence committed against women and girls, or address the current assault on women's and girls' rights, unless we are allowed to call a man a man," Rowling continued in part.
"Freedom of speech and belief are at an end in Scotland if the accurate description of biological sex is deemed criminal."
Rowling also drew attention to several criminal cases, such as that of transgender rapist Isla Bryson and Andrew Miller, who abducted and assaulted a girl in the Scottish Borders. She referred to them as men, along with transgender campaigners and other individuals.
"I'm currently out of the country, but if what I've written here qualifies as an offence under the terms of the new act, I look forward to being arrested when I return to the birthplace of the Scottish Enlightenment," she added.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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