JK Rowling’s name has been offered to the police for investigation after accusations of “misgendering” have been fired from a trans TV broadcaster.
Harry Potter Author Reported to Police
JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, has been accused of misgendering a trans TV personality and was reported to the police as a result.
The Harry Potter author has a controversial social media presence, regularly speaking out against trans people’s rights to be gendered in the way they want.
JK Rowling refused to acknowledge TV broadcaster India Willoughby as a ‘real’ woman, referring to her as a “man” and using the incorrect “he” pronouns.
Willoughby’s Transition Journey
Willougby transitioned from male to female in 2015 through gender reassignment surgery, giving her legal status as a woman and a certificate to prove so.
A disagreement unfolded between JK Rowling and India Willoughby on social media, with Rowling refusing to acknowledge Willoughby’s correct pronouns on two occasions.
Northumbria Police acknowledged receiving the complaint and expressed the intent to engage further with Willoughby to gather additional information regarding the matter.
Hate Crime Allegation
Willoughby pointed out that Rowling’s actions should be categorised as a hate crime and should be treated with the same respect that any racially abusive comment would be.
According to Willougby, “It is a hate crime and it should be treated just as somebody calling a black person the N-word or an Asian person the P-word.”
Willoughby argued that Rowling’s comments were in breach of the Equality Act of 2010, “And that is a breach of both the Equality Act and the Gender Recognition Act,” she said.
Legal Rights as a Woman
Willoughby said that the breach is down to her legal citizenship, which states she is a woman, “I’m legally a woman. She knows I’m a woman and she calls me a man,” she argued.
In response to Willoughby calling the police, Rowling’s response was dismissive with a touch of sarcasm, showing her lack of care towards the Trans community.
When informed that her actions were to be investigated, Rowling responded that the police had other things to do, arguing that the “police are going to be very busy.”
Rowling pointed out that, while it was legal to change your gender, it was also legal to hold critical views towards gender, arguing that the Forstater ruling “established that gender critical views can be protected in law”.
Downing Street’s Response
When Downing Street was brought into the equation, politicians dismissed the matter on the grounds that “definitions of men and women should not be controversial”.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been known to show a lack of care towards the trans community, arguing that “a man is a man” and a “woman is a woman,” calling it “common sense.”
Willoughby noted that Rowling’s large social media following indicates that she could be encouraging others to offer the same transphobic language, “She’s tweeted that out to 14 million followers,” she noted.
Rowling went on to call Willoughby a “male narcissist” stating that the broadcaster “ lives in a state of perpetual rage that he can’t compel women to take him at his own valuation.”
Rowling’s Accusations
Rowling also accuses Willoughby of harassment, arguing that her lawyers told the author she has “a clearly winnable case against India Willoughby for defamation.”
Rowling claims that she could sue Willoughby for her “obsessive targeting” of Rowling, which allegedly “meet the legal threshold for harassment.”
JK Rowling’s criticism of the trans community is in the public eye, raising questions about her ability to spread misinformation that could influence others to trans abuse.
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