JK Rowling's side has emerged as the clear winner in the long and divisive debate between trans rights and those of biological women, according to a new analysis. The Harry Potter author funded, argued, and won battle after battle to protect women's safety and dignity against the Scottish Government.
Legal Victories Cement Biological Definition
Rowling's formidable voice, often on social media platform X, was the most powerful and consistent in the debate leading to two major court victories for For Women Scotland (FWS), a group of resolute Scottish women she supported financially. In April 2025, the UK Supreme Court enshrined in law that biology defines a woman. A second victory in June 2026 made it categorically illegal for trans women to be held in women's jails in Scotland.
Despite death threats and global attempts to cancel her, including mass book burnings and thousands of vitriolic messages, Rowling refused to be bowed. She has now doubled down, inviting women subjected to unlawful treatment by the Scottish Government or Scottish Prison Service to join a class action, for which she will foot the hefty legal costs.
Rowling's Fund and Ongoing Issues
The J.K. Rowling Women's Fund (JKRWF) "stands ready to fund such an action," according to the author. Several women who served time in Scottish prisons are already on board, arguing they were endangered by the presence of men. Rowling's focus now is ensuring the legal victories are implemented quickly, guaranteeing women's safe spaces.
In 2022, then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared "trans women are women," with followers using the phrase "no debate." The turning point came with the case of Isla Bryson, who raped two women in 2016 and 2019. In January 2023, Bryson arrived at court in a blonde wig and pink leggings, revealing full male biology, sparking an outcry. Bryson was initially set for a women's jail but was later moved.
Other Cases and Current Standoff
Disturbed Tiffany Scott, previously Andrew Burns, was earmarked for a women's jail despite stalking a 13-year-old girl. Scott died in HMP Grampian in February 2024 after self-harming. Sophie Eastwood, a lifer who strangled a cellmate with shoelaces in 2004, caused alarm when placed in a women's jail; Eastwood was reassigned to the male estate but spent substantial time in hospital.
The biggest recent focus is murderer Alexandria Stewart, formerly Alan Baker, who conducted a relationship with child killer Nyomi Fee inside HMP Greenock for several years. Stewart was recently charged with an alleged sexual crime against a woman in the jail but remains in the women's wing, in segregation.
Despite the legal successes, the Scottish Prison Service is pausing to consider its position, meaning biological men are still held among women. This continues the position defended by Sturgeon, who mentally unravelled in 2022 when asked to define a woman. The SPS and Scottish Government would do well to wave the white flag and immediately move all biological men to the male estate, where they legally belong.
