J K Rowling will not face any action under Scotland’s new hate crime law after she challenged it by asserting on social media that a number of transgender women were men, police said yesterday.
The Harry Potter author, a prominent gender critical campaigner, made the comments on Monday, the day that the crime of ‘stirring up hatred’ relating to age, disability, religion, sexual orientation and transgender identity came into effect.
She was backed by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said people should not be criminalised for saying ‘common sense’ things about biological sex.
Police Scotland said it had received complaints in relation to Rowling’s social media post.
“The comments are not assessed to be criminal and no further action will be taken,” a spokesperson said.
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf had said the bill was about ‘protecting people from a rising tide of hatred’.
“Unless your behaviour is threatening or abusive and intends to stir up hatred, then you have nothing to worry about in terms of the new offences being created,” he said.
Women are not protected as a group, but the Scottish National Party-led government in Edinburgh is looking at separate reforms to target misogyny.
The new hate crime law has also faced criticism over its impact on freedom of speech.