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.

  • flemtone@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Hate is the keyword here, stating something factual is fine but as we all know someone somewhere will misuse this act if they are butthurt enough

    • iLoveFishing@lemmy.today
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      3 months ago

      It will definitely be abused. Glad we have better laws in the US that prevent a law like this ever being passed.

      • undergroundoverground@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        No, you all have to pretend that corporations are people and that political donations, specifically made to subvert your democracy, is freeze-peach and their aint no limit on freedom, baby!

        Nope, no abuse of the law there…

        Hate, in British law here, would be things said to insight violence against people. The best thing to ask people with views such as yours is “what exactly is it that you want to say, that you’re being stopped from saying?”