JK Rowling was quick to respond to the UK Supreme Court’s legal definition of a woman today when she jumped on X, formerly Twitter following the verdict. In a major ruling, the court has stated that the definition of a woman and sex in the Equality Act relates to “a biological woman and biological sex”. However, judge Lord Hodge, who announced the decision, made clear that the law gives trans people protection against discrimination.
Taking to social media, praising the “tenacious Scottish women” who ‘got this case heard’, JK – who has been very vocal about trans people and their rights – said she was “proud” of their efforts, claiming they’ve “protected the rights of women across the UK”. The Harry Potter star penned: “It took three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women with an army behind them to get this case heard by the Supreme Court and, in winning, they’ve protected the rights of women and girls across the UK. @ForWomenScot I’m so proud to know you.”
She later added: “Trans people have lost zero rights today, although I don’t doubt some (not all) will be furious that the Supreme Court upheld women’s sex-based rights.”
The ruling follows a series of challenges brought by the campaign group, For Women Scotland (FWS), over the definition of “woman” in Scottish legislation mandating 50% female representation on public boards.
The outcome of the case will have an impact on the whole of the UK after the lengthy legal battle was heard by the Supreme Court.
Responding to JK’s post, many of her fans agreed with her, as one replied: “All of you who vilified @jk_rowling for standing up for women should hang your heads in shame.” Meanwhile, another said: “This is a huge win! Now we need to make the rest of the Western World see reason.”
However, there were others who disagreed with the ruling and JK – who has made a series of controversial tweets regarding the trans community in the past – as they said: “Trans women are women and there’s no ‘argument’ about that. Breaks my heart that we’re going backwards and it’s so frustrating feeling so powerless.”
The Scottish government had argued that transgender people with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) are entitled to sex-based protections, while FWS argued they only apply to people that are born female.
The case centred on whether or not somebody with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) recognising their gender as female should be treated as a woman under the 2010 Equality Act.
FWS has previously said not aligning the definition of sex to its “ordinary meaning” could have far-reaching consequences for sex-based rights, as well as “everyday single-sex services” like toilets and hospital wards.
Following the court’s decision today, the group says it’s grateful for the decision after a “long road” of legal battles, while charity Scottish Trans urges people “not to panic”.
The Scottish government, meanwhile, says it acted “in good faith” and will work with Westminster to understand the full implications of the ruling.
Last year, JK admitted her loved ones had “begged” for her to keep her views on trans women to herself. The acclaimed author fell from grace with many fans of her Harry Potter saga over recent years as she has taken an outspoken stance against trans women, controversially claiming they were “not women.”
This has earned her worldwide criticism, including from actors Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson who have been vocal about their support of the LGBTQI+ community.
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
