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By Shane Croucher and Marni Rose McFall
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Harry Potter author JK Rowling has hailed a U.K. Supreme Court ruling that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex, saying it has "protected the rights of women and girls" across the country.
"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," Rowling, a staunch defender of women's rights, posted on X, formerly Twitter. "@ForWomenScot, I'm so proud to know you."
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The 59-year-old author reportedly helped finance the legal challenge brought by activist group Campaigners from For Women Scotland.
Why It Matters
Rowling has been outspoken on the issue of transgender identity and rights, attracting both criticism and support for her position.
Rowling's books, including the best-selling book series in history, Harry Potter, have sold more than 600 million copies worldwide.
What to Know
The U.K.'s top court unanimously ruled on Wednesday that the legal definition of a woman under the Equality Act 2010 does not include transgender women.
It marks the end of a long-running legal saga, which Rowling has donated more than $90,000 to help, LGBT news outlet PinkNews reported.
The case stems from a 2018 law passed by the Scottish Parliament that there should be a 50 percent female representation on Scottish public bodies' boards. That law included transgender women in its definition of women.
A legal challenge was rejected by a court in 2022, but Campaigners from For Women Scotland was granted permission last year to take its case to the U.K. Supreme Court.
On Wednesday that court said the equality law would be "incoherent and unworkable" if it relied on an interpretation of sex based on gender certification instead of human biology.
Scotland has a separate justice system to England and Wales, as well as Northern Ireland; however the U.K. Supreme Court's rulings in civil cases apply to all nations in the United Kingdom.
Justices stressed that said a biological interpretation does not remove protection against discrimination from trans people. "Trans people are protected from discrimination on the ground of gender reassignment. They are also able to invoke the provisions on direct discrimination and harassment, and indirect discrimination on the basis of sex," it said.
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The U.K. government said that the ruling will bring "clarity and confidence," for women, and those who run women's spaces like refuges.
"We have always supported the protection of single sex spaces based on biological sex. Single-sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by this government," a government spokesperson has said
Though the ruling has been applauded by gender critical activists, it has been condemned by trans-rights activists, and concerns have been raised about how it will impact the lives of trans women.
What People Are Saying
Maya Forstater, a gender critical activist on X: "Absolutely delighted with this. The judgement puts women's rights back at the heaty of the Equality Act."
Author Shon Faye wrote on Instagram: "The British government and the UK Supreme court were never our friends unless forced to be... Practically very little will change for most trans women, who have been dealing with a hostile environment in this country for many years. I'm gutted because these people won't stop here – they have a taste for it now."
Journalist and author Caroline O'Donoghue wrote on Instagram: "You are making the world unsafe for trans women, and you are sending a really clear message to trans kids about what will happen to them if they come out."
Ellie Gomersall, a UK politician and leading trans-activist told Scottish newspaper The National: "I'm gutted to see this judgement from the Supreme Court which ends 20 years of understanding that transgender people with a gender recognition certificate are able to be, for almost all intents and purposes, recognised legally as our true genders."
British model and transgender activist Munroe Bergdorf wrote in an Instagram story: "Spending the next few days listening/speaking to legal experts about how this will impact the future of our community in the UK."
"In the meantime, please hold each other close", she added.
What Happens Next
The court's ruling on Wednesday could have significant implications for transgender women across the U.K.
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