Warning: This article contains discussions about discrimination against the trans community, which may be distressing to some readers.
The UK’s Supreme Court has determined that the legal definition of a woman does not encompass transgender women, a decision that JK Rowling has publicly supported.
While transgender women identify as women, the ruling by Britain’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, April 16, stated they are not legally recognized as women. This decision has prompted JK Rowling to express her views online.
Rowling has faced backlash for her statements about the trans community, resulting in accusations of transphobia on social media. She has been mentioned alongside Elon Musk in a cyberbullying lawsuit filed by Olympic champion Imane Khelif.
The author has previously indicated she would prefer imprisonment over using a transgender person’s chosen pronouns. Following this significant ruling, she has once again shared her thoughts on Twitter.
Rowling took to Twitter to commend the ‘three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women’ who were instrumental in bringing the case to the Supreme Court. She praised their efforts in protecting the rights of women and girls across the UK.
She continued by saying, “@ForWomenScot, I’m so proud to know you.”
For Women Scotland (FWS), a campaign group, initiated the case. It questioned whether individuals with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) – a legal document in the UK that acknowledges a person’s gender as their affirmed gender – should be considered women under the 2010 Equality Act.
The Supreme Court’s ruling ultimately declared that only biological women fit the legal definition of a woman under equality laws.
This decision implies that transgender women might be excluded from single-sex women’s facilities such as toilets, sports, and refuges.
Deputy President of the Supreme Court, Patrick Hodge, stated, as reported by Reuters: “The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms ‘women’ and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.”
He additionally cautioned against viewing the judgment as a victory for any societal group over another.
Despite this, Rowling views it as a ‘triumph’. She retweeted various posts and responded to an LBC broadcast that questioned the alignment of views with US President Donald Trump.
Rowling replied: “We had to choose between male rapists being locked up with women and the eradication of women’s single-sex spaces, even down to homeless shelters and rape crisis centres, and knowing we share a single opinion with Donald Trump. I’m comfortable with my choice.”
This ruling in the UK comes shortly after the Trump administration in the US announced its recognition of only ‘two sexes’.
After becoming the 47th President of the US, Trump signed an executive order on January 20 to support women against gender ideology extremism and restore biological distinctions to the federal government.
The policy acknowledges ‘two sexes, male and female’ as immutable and based on ‘fundamental and incontrovertible reality.’
The order specifies: “Each agency and all Federal employees shall enforce laws governing sex-based rights, protections, opportunities, and accommodations to protect men and women as biologically distinct sexes.”
Furthermore, it mandates the removal of any statements or policies that promote gender ideology and requires agency forms to list only male or female without requesting gender identity information.
If you have been affected by these issues and need confidential support, you can contact the LGBT national hotline at 888-843-4564, available Monday to Friday from 4pm-12am ET and on Saturdays from 12pm-5pm ET.