JK Rowling has broken her silence after a United Kingdom Supreme Court ruled on the definition of a woman.
The Harry Potter author said she was “so proud” of the “tenacious Scottish women” who took the case to court.
This morning, April 16, a panel of five judges sided with defiant campaign group For Women Scotland, and against the Scottish Government, declaring a “woman” in the Equality Act referred to a “biological woman and biological sex”.
They also blasted SNP ministers for pushing an “incoherent” interpretation that would leave women’s rights worse off.
The ruling follows a three-year battle from feminist campaigners who argued a woman should be defined as only those born female and not trans women.
Following the decision, Rowling took to X and wrote: “It took three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women with an army behind them to get this case heard by the Supreme Court and, in winning, they’ve protected the rights of women and girls across the UK.
“For Women Scotland, I’m so proud to know you.”
In an 88-page ruling Supreme Court judges Lord Hodge, Lady Rose and Lady Simler found that “the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 makes clear that the concept of sex is binary, a person is either a woman or a man.”
Lord Hodge stated it was the unanimous decision of the court that “the definition of the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex”.
The top judge added that the Act still offers protection from discrimination for trans people.
The debate over trans rights and women’s spaces has been intensifying for years, with key legal challenges and public figures sparking a nationwide challenge against extremist woke views on gender.
But the issue exploded in 2020 when national treasure JK Rowling slammed the growing trend of replacing “biological sex” with “gender identity,” sparking outrage from the trans lobby.
Ms Rowling’s defiant stance – declaring that “sex is real” – triggered death threats, but also turned her into the figurehead for the “gender-critical” movement.
Hailing the landmark decision, Trina Budge, director of For Women Scotland, said: “It’s absolutely a victory for women’s rights.
“This case was always about women, never about trans rights who, as Judge Hodge said, are fully protected in law still, but now we have clarity over what a woman means in law.”
