JK Rowling blasts Scot Govt for ignoring public opposition to gender self-ID

JK Rowling has slammed the Scottish Government for pushing ahead with plans to allow people as young as 16 to choose their own legal sex, as new polling has confirmed the scale of public opposition.

The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill seeks to make it much easier to change legal sex by removing the need for medical evidence and reducing the two-year waiting period to just three months. It even extends ‘sex swaps’ to 16-year-olds.

Of the 1,018 voters in Scotland surveyed by Panelbase, 62 per cent opposed decreasing the minimum age to 16, with only 19 per cent in favour. Only a quarter supported the reduced waiting period.

‘Blame’

Writing for The Sunday Times Scotland, JK Rowling warned: “If any woman or girl suffers voyeurism, sexual harassment, assault or rape in consequence of the Scottish government’s lax new rules, the blame will rest squarely with those at Holyrood who ignored safeguarding experts and women’s campaigners.”

Rowling, who recently called Nicola Sturgeon a “destroyer of women’s rights” used the article to criticise the First Minister for arguing that “it’s transphobic to suggest any man would fraudulently claim a female identity”.

The author and activist explained: “This claim is extraordinary. Nobody but the very naive can fail to be aware that predatory men are capable of going to great lengths to gain easy access to victims, and have often sought out professions or special status that offer camouflage for their activities.”

‘Emperor’s New Clothes’

The Christian Institute’s Deputy Director Simon Calvert commented: “The public is no longer falling for this Emperor’s New Clothes routine. They respect trans people but they are not prepared to go along with the pretence that you can really change sex.”

He added: “Brave detransitioners and their feminist friends have well and truly burst the trans bubble as far as the Scottish public is concerned and we can be thankful for that. The key question now is whether MSPs will pay any attention or risk the wrath of voters by ignoring their concerns.”

But in response to the growing criticism, a Scottish Government spokesman claimed there was ‘no conflict’ between the proposed legislation and its “strong commitment to uphold the rights and protections that women and girls currently have under the 2010 Equality Act”.

Earlier this month, the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee voted by a majority of five to two that the general principles of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill be approved.