Nicola Sturgeon has indicated she would be willing to debate JK Rowling over transgender rights, but questioned whether the Harry Potter author would agree to a head-to-head encounter. The former first minister made the remarks while promoting her memoir, Frankly, on BBC Breakfast.
Rowling has been a prominent critic of Sturgeon's attempts to introduce gender recognition reforms in Scotland, which were ultimately blocked by the Westminster government. The author previously wore a T-shirt describing Sturgeon as a “destroyer of women’s rights” in opposition to the proposed legislation, which would have allowed transgender people to self-identify their legal sex.
Sturgeon said she believed that “forces on the far right” had sought to “weaponise” the trans issue to roll back broader equality protections, including gay, minority, and women’s rights. She acknowledged that many opponents of her reforms “come from a genuine place”, but insisted that some had used the debate for other purposes.
The former SNP leader said she had received “probably the most horrific abuse” on the trans issue of any topic during her career, describing some of it as “deeply misogynistic”. She added: “I will always stand up for rights, for equality, for minority rights.”
Asked whether she would debate Rowling, Sturgeon said: “I will debate with many people, but I don’t think JK Rowling would be willing to do that.” Rowling responded on X, formerly Twitter, saying she would review the memoir on her website, referring to Sturgeon sarcastically as “Scotland’s (checks notes) most persecuted, misunderstood, self-critical, open-to-debate, feminist-to-her-fingertips ex-first minister”.
