J.K. Rowling

Rowling founded and funded Beira's Place in Edinburgh, a service for women who have experienced sexual violence that defines itself as a women-only space. The centre became emblematic of the dispute over the definition of single-sex services and inclusion of trans women.

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During the Paris Olympics, Rowling posted messages questioning Algerian boxer Imane Khelif's participation in the women's category and described her as a man in the context of her victory over Angela Carini. Khelif subsequently filed a complaint in France against persons unknown for aggravated cyberharassment; her lawyer stated that Rowling and Elon Musk were among the public figures named.

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Amnesty International UK included Beira's Place, founded by Rowling, in a briefing classifying organisations as part of an "anti-rights" movement. Following objections, Amnesty withdrew the document, acknowledged that it had not followed its internal procedures, referred itself to the Charity Commission and subsequently issued specific apologies, including to Beira's Place.

Following her June 2020 tweets, Rowling published a lengthy essay explaining her positions on sex, single-sex spaces, transition treatments and her own experience of abuse. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and other members of the franchise publicly distanced themselves from her on trans rights, creating a lasting rift.

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Trans presenter India Willoughby reported Rowling to Northumbria Police after the author described her as a man in a series of posts, considering this to constitute a hate crime or malicious communication.

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Rowling responded sceptically to a post asserting that the Nazis had burned work concerning trans healthcare and research. Historians, activists and commentators subsequently accused her of denying part of the Nazi persecution of sexual and gender minorities.

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On the day the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act came into force, Rowling published a series of posts describing several trans women as men and publicly challenged police to arrest her if those remarks fell under the new law. Complaints were filed.

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Following publication of the Cass Review into gender identity services for minors in England, Rowling intensified her dispute with Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, stating that celebrities who had supported the transition of minors could "save their apologies".

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Rowling supported opponents of Scotland's gender recognition reform and published a photograph of herself wearing a T-shirt describing Nicola Sturgeon as a "destroyer of women's rights". She subsequently elaborated on her objections in an opinion article, arguing that legal self-identification threatened certain women-only spaces and protections.

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Rowling publicly defended the decision to retain Johnny Depp in the role of Grindelwald despite domestic abuse allegations made by Amber Heard, acknowledging that fans had "legitimate concerns" but saying she was comfortable retaining the casting.

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Rowling mocked the expression "people who menstruate" and subsequently defended the social and material importance of biological sex. The posts prompted a strong reaction from LGBT+ activists, readers and figures associated with the Harry Potter franchise.

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Rowling returned the Ripple of Hope award she had received from Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights after Kerry Kennedy, the organisation's president, criticised her statements about trans people and described them as incompatible with the human rights values upheld by the organisation.

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Rowling publicly supported Maya Forstater after an employment tribunal ruling against the latter, asserting in particular that women should not lose their jobs for stating that "sex is real". This intervention marked the beginning of her sustained public involvement in the gender-critical debate.

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The revelation that Nagini had previously been a woman portrayed by South Korean actress Claudia Kim prompted criticism of the representation of Asian women and the decision to make an Asian character someone destined to lose her human form and become Voldemort's snake.

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Rowling's publication of texts about the history of magic in North America, particularly her reinterpretation of the Navajo concept of the "skinwalker", drew criticism from several Indigenous writers and academics who accused her of using living traditions as fictional material and reproducing stereotypes.

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Directly implicated