JK Rowling is a feminist idol for lots of women. After the break-up of her marriage, Rowling became a single mum, whose literary ability eventually earned her fame and fortune. The Harry Potter author has campaigned tirelessly for women’s rights in recent years. For voicing her scepticism about whether men can transition to become women, she has been hounded and abused. Yet even her fiercest critics would find it difficult to deny her feminist credentials.
Nicola Sturgeon, however, appeared to do just that in an interview this morning. The Scottish First Minister was asked for her views on Rowling’s decision to wear a T-Shirt that read: ‘Nicola Sturgeon ‘destroyer of women’s rights’’. That was in response to the SNP’s gender reform bill which seeks to make it easier for men and women to transition to their preferred gender.
The Scottish First Minister went on to say that people should focus on ‘abusive men’
Sturgeon’s response was to insist she is indeed a ‘real feminist’ – suggesting that those who disagree with her over trans rights are not. Here’s what she told the Today programme:
‘There are no shortages of attacks on women that feminists, real feminists, as I consider myself to be, should be focusing on right now’, and accusing them of trying to ‘stigmatise and discriminate’ against transgender people.’
Asked whether Rowling was right to call Sturgeon a ‘destroyer of women’s rights’, Sturgeon responded:
‘No, I’ve spent my entire life campaigning for women’s rights and I am a passionate feminist with lots of evidence behind that. Look, I respect people’s views on this…’
The Scottish First Minister went on to say that people should focus on ‘abusive men’, not on ‘discriminating ‘against a tiny, tiny group in society that are already one of the most stigmatised groups on society’.
Sturgeon is right, of course, to say that trans people should not be discriminated against. But it’s worth remembering one of the implications of her gender reform bill: it would allow someone to change gender without a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria. Many women, like Rowling, are concerned that this law could be abused by men who seek to harm women and gain access to women’s only spaces. But Sturgeon had little to say to such people, other than to suggest they should pipe down.
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