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.

  • SuddenDownpour
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    8 months ago

    The best argument I’ve heard for this is that being extremely rich fills your life with sycophants who will agree to anything you say just because they want to get in your good graces. Most people are kinda pretty dumb in general, but if you put them in a situation where a lot of people validates their bullshit, it makes sense that many would lose whatever critical thinking skills they ever had.