JK Rowling has challenged Scotland’s new hate crime law in a series of social media posts - inviting police to arrest her if they believe she has committed an offence.
The Harry Potter author, who lives in Edinburgh, described several transgender women as men, including convicted prisoners, trans activists and other public figures.
She said “freedom of speech and belief” was at an end if accurate description of biological sex was outlawed.
Earlier, Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf said the new law would deal with a “rising tide of hatred”.
The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 creates a new crime of “stirring up hatred” relating to age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or being intersex.
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Ms Rowling, who has long been a critic of some trans activism, posted on X on the day the new legislation came into force.
I’m sorry that I can advocate for free speech protections and believe that trans rights are human rights all at the same time and you can’t.
It’s like the cases the ACLU would take on, defending the free speech rights of reprehensible people, because the only way they can be sure that they can say whatever they want, is to be sure that bigots can do the same. It’s the only way it works.
The defense of hate speech puts people in danger, you are not an ally.
You know what puts people in more danger, complete and utter stupidity. Please stop.
Even if your opinion were true, what you are saying at its core, is that you are willing to trade everyone’s rights in the hope that it will bolster your rights.