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.
…
Ms Rowling, who has long been a critic of some trans activism, posted on X on the day the new legislation came into force.
This is stupid. People often say things like “the gays” or “the straights” to refer to the group of individuals who identify as such. Drawing the line at “transgenders” feels silly.
Are you a transgender person? If not, why would that determination be up to you?
I’m white and cisgendered and yet have no determination whether or not internet communities like “arethestraightsokay” are fine to exist. Am I not allowed a voice?
You are allowed a voice, yes. Haven’t you just used it?
Your right to use your voice doesn’t protect you from potential criticism from those who hear it. You do not have the authority dictate what is acceptable/unacceptable regarding trans issues as a cis person (nor what we should call trans people), just as I—another white cis person—have no right to claim what is or isn’t okay when it comes to issues unique to POC.
I don’t have the background and life experience of non-white/trans people, so I’ll continue to follow and amplify the words of those in any marginalized group that I am not a part of. There are enough people ignoring and talking over them already.
Well, you can continue being overly self righteous to your heart’s content While you write way too damn much on the subject, another lemmy post comes by and shock someone references the gays on a 196 post in a non offensive manner.
Get over yourself lol
It’s literally slur reclamation. The same way you’ll find the f slur in queer spaces sometimes but not others. Referring to trans people as “transgenders” or even just referring to someone as “a trans” is actively used in an extremely hateful way frequently. If you’re cis, it might be a good idea to just accept that people don’t like to be referred to that way.
Just an idea.