JK Rowling compares Nicola Sturgeon to Donald Trump in scathing book review

RTÉ News​

a day ago

JK Rowling has compared Nicola Sturgeon to US President Donald Trump and the Twilight character Bella Swan in a scathing review of the former first minister's memoir.
The Harry Potter author accused Ms Sturgeon of being "flat out Trumpian in her shameless denial of reality and hard facts" on issues relating to trans and women's rights.
The writer is a long-time critic of the former SNP leader and her views on gender self-ID.
In her near-3000-word review, published on her own website, she accuses Ms Sturgeon, who passed gender reform legislation at the Scottish parliament Holyrood, of holding "luxury beliefs" that have caused "real, lasting harm" to women.
Rowling published her review on X alongside what appears to be an AI-generated image of Ms Sturgeon in the woods in front of a wolf and a vampire.
She said of the politician's memoir, Frankly: "She remains stubbornly wedded to her belief that it is possible to let some men into women's spaces on the men's say so, without letting any man who fancies it come inside.
"She denies there are any risks to a policy of gender self-identification.
"She can't imagine any male predator capitalising on such policies, in spite of the fact that it has, demonstrably, happened many times.
"She is flat out Trumpian in her shameless denial of reality and facts."
Rowling, who lives in Edinburgh, said the Glasgow Southside MSP had not been "remotely humbled" by the Supreme Court ruling that sex in the UK Equality Act referred to biological sex.
The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Act, which was passed by MSPs, was ultimately scrapped by Westminster, with the then Tory government saying it contravened equalities law.
In her book, Ms Sturgeon said she had never received as much abuse than when Rowling posted a picture of herself on social media with a T-shirt saying "Nicola Sturgeon, destroyer of women's rights".
The former first minister said the post made her feel "more at risk of possible physical harm".
Rowling defended the decision, writing in her review her intention was to encourage journalists to question Ms Sturgeon on the impacts her gender reforms may have.
She compares the MSP to Twilight character Bella Swan, saying both were "monomaniacs", with Mr Sturgeon being "consumed" by independence.
She says of them: "Both shy, insecure teenagers have dates with destiny.
"Nicola Sturgeon will one day become first minister of Scotland. Bella Swan will join the ranks of the undead."
The author said Sturgeon made significant omissions in her memoir, including WhatsApp messages from the Covid pandemic, education standards and the row over delayed and over-budget ferries.
"Perhaps the most disgraceful omission - and I'll admit to a personal interest here, because I'm married to a doctor who used to run a methadone clinic, so saw the national scandal up close - is the fact that Scotland continues to lead the whole of Europe in drug deaths," she said.
Ms Sturgeon has said she stands by the principle of gender self-ID but has expressed regret at not pausing her gender reforms in order to find common ground with opponents.
Speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Thursday, Ms Sturgeon said the debate was "toxic on both sides".
She accepted that "in all of the tone and tenor of this I am not saying I was blameless at all", saying she "desperately" wished she had been able to "find a more collegiate way forward" on the controversial issue.