Scottish Police Won't Arrest J.K. Rowling for Calling Transgender Host 'Man'

The author of the Harry Potter saga, J.K. Rowling, will not be prosecuted for her sharp criticism on social media of a new Scottish law that would better protect trans people but which she believes contradicts freedom of speech, police said yesterday.

Earlier, J.K. Rowling called the transgender presenter a "man" on social media. Presenter India Willoughby complained to the police and said that she regarded the words of the famous writer as a "hate crime". 

"In Scotland, freedom of expression and belief will be over if an accurate description of biological sex is considered a criminal offence," the writer said.

J.K. Rowling called on the Scottish police to arrest her, saying that if her comments "are considered an offence under the terms of the new law", she "looks forward to being arrested" when she returns to the country after a trip abroad.

The writer has become one of the most influential opponents of the transgender rights movement, seeing it as an attack on women's rights and sharply criticising the Scottish government's position on the issue.

The Scottish police, which said it had received several complaints against the author, however, assured through a spokesperson on Tuesday that J.K. Rowling's comments were "not considered criminal" and would not be the subject of "any action".

For the writer, who lives in Edinburgh, the text opens the door wide to "abuse by activists who want to silence those of us who denounce the dangers of removing seats reserved for women," she said. She condemned in a series of posted messages on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.