The longstanding feud between Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and British broadcaster India Willoughby over transgender issues has taken an explosive turn, with Willoughby claiming she has reported Rowling to police for allegedly committing a hate crime through “misgendering.”
The clash reignited on Sunday when Rowling complained on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) about transgender women being allowed access to female locker rooms. Willoughby, who is a transgender woman, sent Rowling a video asking if she believed the person in the clip should use a men’s locker room.
Rowling fired back, refusing to refer to Willoughby as a woman and accusing her of exhibiting a “misogynistic performance of what he thinks ‘woman’ means.” When confronted about her stance, the author doubled down, stating, “India didn’t become a woman. India is cosplaying a misogynistic male fantasy of what a woman is.”
Willoughby expressed outrage at Rowling’s “grotesque transphobia,” asserting her legal status as a woman and accusing the author of “indisputable transphobic bullying.” Escalating her rhetoric, she ominously warned, “If I ever get murdered, you know who to blame. #StochasticTerrorism.”
In a video interview, Willoughby revealed that she has reported Rowling to police in Northumbria, England, alleging the author has committed a crime by referring to her as a man despite her legally recognized gender.
“JK Rowling’s definitely committed a crime,” Willoughby stated. “I’m legally a woman, she knows I’m a woman, and she calls me a man. It’s a protected characteristic, and that is a breach of both the Equalities Act and the Gender Recognition Act.”
Rowling, however, remained defiant, sharing alleged evidence of Willoughby’s past “homophobia, racism, and humane stance on immigration.” She contended that gender-critical views like her own are legally protected beliefs following a pivotal ruling.
“No law compels anyone to pretend to believe that India is a woman,” Rowling asserted, vowing to explain to authorities that, in her view, Willoughby represents “a classic example of the male narcissist who lives in a state of perpetual rage that he can’t compel women to take him at his own valuation.”
The bitter clash underscores the heated debate around transgender rights and gender identity, with both women unwavering in their deeply entrenched positions. As legal threats loom, the high-profile row appears primed to escalate further on the public stage.