Transgender Activists And Scotland First Minister Humza Yousaf Melt Down After Police Determines J.K. Rowling’s Social Media Posts Addressing Transgender Women As Men Are Not Criminal
Josh Berger
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In what has been a fascinating unfolding of events, Police Scotland has determined that Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s comments about transgender individuals are not to be considered hate speech under the country’s draconian new Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act.
In a series of posts shared to her official X account, Rowling mockingly referred to several transgender women as women, only to later drop the act and declare that those posts were an April Fools joke and all the transgender women she brought attention to were, in fact, men pretending to be women.
Furthermore, Rowling defied Scottish authorities to “arrest” her if the posts she had made decrying transgender ideology fell into any of the categories deeming her comments as a hate crime, specifically declaring, “Freedom of speech and belief are at an end in Scotland if the accurate description of biological sex is deemed criminal.”
She’d later add, “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.”
In their coverage of the news, BBC News reports that Police Scotland received over 3,000 complaints about Rowling’s post following the enforcement of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act this past Monday.
Per The Independent, a spokesperson for Police Scotland declared on Tuesday, “We have received complaints in relation to the social media post,” regarding Rowling’s comments on X. “The comments are not assessed to be criminal and no further action will be taken.”
Reacting to the news reporting that her April Fools day comments did not break Scotland’s new hate crime law, Rowling wrote, “I hope every woman in Scotland who wishes to speak up for the reality and importance of biological sex will be reassured by this announcement, and I trust that all women – irrespective of profile or financial means – will be treated equally under the law.”
Showing her commitment to the cause, Rowling would go on to declare that she is willing to support anyone who is charged for speaking the truth, asserting, “If they go after any woman for simply calling a man a man, I’ll repeat that woman’s words and they can charge us both at once,” when the author was challenged about her ability to financially defend herself.
While the Harry Potter author received an overwhelming amount of support on social media, there were also the terminally online transgender activists who clutched their pearls over Police Scotland determining Rowling’s posts did not constitute a criminal offence under the newly enforced hate crime law.
“Hate filled, arrogant, privileged, cruel,” X user @grannies4equal said of Rowling, adding, “What a thoroughly nasty person.”
“Just a reminder that JKR doesn’t speak for women in Scotland,” asserted @TheatreSpoonie. “She also doesn’t speak up for reality nor does she understand biological sex.”
The user then concluded, “As a feminist, we do not want to be defined by our reproductive organs.”
With a fairly non-sensical question for the Harry Potter creator, @domed_feminism asked, “Did it ever occur to you that you’re famous, therefore entitled, and white?”
“This white, dripping-in-privilege b—h is just BEGGING to be some martyr and she knows she risks ABSOLUTELY NOTHING,” cried @kcpirana.
The disgruntled user went on, “First of all the dumb c u n T doesn’t understand the law & secondly, she is part of the protected elite,” adding a “STFU Delores[sic] Umbridge,” making allusion to one of the Harry Potter series’ main antagonists.
Losing all composure, X user @iofevil61 resorted to petty insults, declaring, “Can you just shut the f—k up for five f—king minutes? Jesus Christ. How the f—k is a law protecting trans people f—king offensive to you?”
“You are such a f—king embarrassment,” the easily offended user bemoaned. “I wish you had the capacity to just f—k off quietly FOR ONCE and stop being transphobic. Ass hat.”
Seemingly expecting Scotland’s recently enforced hate law was retroactively applied to Rowling for her past comments about transgender individuals, @RajanBarot24 wrote, “I hate to break it to [Rowling] but the [Police Scotland] decision appears to relate to her posts on 1 April.”
“People should not be deterred from reporting posts that are still up that they believe contravene the law,” the user proposed.
Interestingly, Scotland First Minister Humza Yousaf was also amongst individuals taking offense at Rowling’s comments decrying transgender ideology, though finding himself in agreement with the decision made by Police Scotland.
“Those new offences that have been created by the act have a very high threshold for criminality,” Yousaf told BBC Scotland News. “The behaviour has to be threatening or abusive and intends to stir up hatred. So it doesn’t deal with people just being offended or upset or insulted.”
He further explained, “Anybody who read the act will not have been surprised at all that there’s no arrests made,” adding, “JK Rowling’s tweets may well be offensive, upsetting and insulting to trans people. But it doesn’t mean that they meet a threshold of criminality of being threatening or abusive and intending to stir up hatred.”
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