The Harry Potter author described several transgender women as men in a series of social media posts.

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.

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Ms Rowling, who has long been a critic of some trans activism, posted on X on the day the new legislation came into force.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
      21·
      8 months ago

      There is no legal definition of “hate speech” under U.S. law, just as there is no legal definition for evil ideas, rudeness, unpatriotic speech, or any other kind of speech that people might condemn. Generally, however, hate speech is any form of expression through which speakers intend to vilify, humiliate, or incite hatred against a group or a class of persons on the basis of race, religion, skin color sexual identity, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, or national origin.

      https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/hate

      If librarians can figure this out, why can’t you?

          • iLoveFishing@lemmy.today
            1·
            8 months ago

            And when the right gets elected we can consider any criticism of Christianity as hate speech and lock them up too. People never abuse their power.

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
              11·
              8 months ago

              Weird how that hasn’t happened in any other country that has hate speech laws.

              Is America special? Americans somehow need extra special freedom of speech?

              • iLoveFishing@lemmy.today
                1·
                8 months ago

                Because they are rarely enforced. Do you really think that if Trump was elected again he wouldn’t try to abuse a law like this? Either way, we have different opinions here. I believe that if someone wants to criticize an idea they should be allowed to, you believe that if that opinion is offensive that it could be considered hateful and should be illegal, do I have that right?

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
                  1·
                  8 months ago

                  I thought you just said comedians were getting locked up because of those laws. Now you’re saying they’re rarely enforced. Which is it?

                  • iLoveFishing@lemmy.today
                    1·
                    8 months ago

                    Either way, we have different opinions here. I believe that if someone wants to criticize an idea they should be allowed to, you believe that if that opinion is offensive that it could be considered hateful and should be illegal, do I have that right?