Renowned “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has delivered a sharp retort to transgender broadcaster India Willoughby, who reported her to law enforcement, alleging a “hate crime” due to misgendering.
Willoughby, a self-proclaimed transgender woman, accused Rowling of breaching discrimination laws by referring to her as “a man” in a social media post dated March 4.
“J.K. Rowling has definitely committed a crime. I’m legally a woman. She knows I’m a woman, and she called me a man,” Willoughby asserted in an interview with Byline TV.
“It’s a protected characteristic,” Willoughby continued, “and that is a breach of both the Equalities Act and the Gender Recognition Act. She’s tweeted that out to 14 million followers.”
“I have reported J.K. Rowling to the police for what she said, which I don’t know if that’s going to be treated as a hate crime, malicious communications — but it’s a cut-and-dry offense, as far as I’m concerned,” continued Willoughby. “At the end of the day, it is a hate crime.”
https://twitter.com/BylineTV/status/1765484416275472570
Responding to Willoughby’s revelation on X, Rowling stated that she consulted a lawyer who indicated “that not only did I have a clearly winnable case against India Willoughby for defamation, but that India’s obsessive targeting of me over the past few years may meet the legal threshold for harassment.”
Rowling contended, “gender critical views can be protected in law as a philosophical belief. No law compels anyone to pretend to believe that India is a woman.”
Some time ago, lawyers advised me that not only did I have a clearly winnable case against India Willoughby for defamation, but that India's obsessive targeting of me over the past few years may meet the legal threshold for harassment. 1/5 https://t.co/kMSMBWO7gm
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 6, 2024
“Aware as I am that it’s an offence to lie to law enforcement, I’ll simply have to explain to the police that, in my view, India is a classic example of the male narcissist who lives in a state of perpetual rage that he can’t compel women to take him at his own valuation,” Rowling added.
Users on X left a community note under a clip from the interview, seemingly aligning with Rowling’s perspective. The note emphasized, “in the UK, discrimination against someone with a protected characteristic may be a crime. However, it is not a crime to refer to a trans-identified person by their s*x. Such speech is recognized as an expression of belief and protected under the Equality Act 2010.”
Rowling, known for her outspoken views on the transgender community, particularly trans women, has faced much criticism in recent years.
In October, she expressed her staunch stance on the gender issue, stating she would “happily” spend time in jail if her government criminalized “misgendering” a transgender person.
“I’ll happily do two years if the alternative is compelled speech and forced denial of the reality and importance of s*x,” Rowling shared on X. “Bring on the court case, I say. It’ll be more fun than I’ve ever had on a red carpet.”
I'll happily do two years if the alternative is compelled speech and forced denial of the reality and importance of s*x. Bring on the court case, I say. It'll be more fun than I've ever had on a red carpet.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 17, 2023
