JK Rowling hits back at Nicola Sturgeon's memoir — reopening Scotland's bitter gender self-ID fight; details of the row here
Memoir claims and Rowling's response
In the memoir, Sturgeon recalls feeling 'more at risk of possible physical harm' after Rowling shared a photo in a T-shirt reading: 'Nicola Sturgeon, destroyer of women's rights.' Sturgeon told the BBC she respected Rowling's right to disagree but described the T-shirt as 'quite incendiary.'Rowling, in a review of the memoir on her website, accused Sturgeon of denying reality over transgender issues. She wrote that her intention was to encourage journalists to question the policy, which sought to make it easier to legally change gender.
Legislative dispute and wider political context
The Scottish Parliament passed the gender self-identification legislation, but Westminster blocked it over concerns it could affect UK-wide equality laws. Critics, including Rowling, argued the bill threatened women's safety by granting biological males access to female-only spaces.The UK Supreme Court later ruled that, under the Equality Act 2010, 'woman' is defined by biological sex. Sturgeon stands by the principle of self-identification but admits she regrets not pausing the bill to seek compromise.
Broader criticisms and political fallout
Rowling accused Sturgeon of fostering a climate where women who disagreed with her policy were 'silenced, shamed, persecuted.' She also criticised omissions in the memoir, including the handling of Covid-related communications, education performance, ferry procurement delays, SNP finances, and Scotland's drug death rate.Sturgeon defended her record, predicting Scottish independence within 20 years and highlighting policies aimed at reducing poverty. She noted she was cleared in a police inquiry into SNP finances, although her former husband Peter Murrell faces an embezzlement charge. The couple have since separated, and Sturgeon will step down as MSP next year.
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