J.K. Rowling Not a 'Real Feminist', Pro-Trans Scottish First Minister Hints

J.K. Rowling moved with her daughter to live with her sister in Edinburgh in 1993 to escape her abusive husband. But Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the writer was exaggerating the threat of assaults by men who identify as women.

Scotland's first minister has attacked "gender-critical" women — claiming they are not "real feminists".

Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon's comments on BBC Radio 4 on Friday morning followed criticism from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and the feminist group For Women Scotland.

Rowling called Sturgeon a "destroyer of women's rights" on Thursday over the devolved administration's attempts to introduce new legislation that would allow biological males access to women-only spaces on the basis that they self-identify as trans — contrary to current UK law.

"I've spent my entire life campaigning for women's rights, and I'm a passionate feminist with lots of evidence behind that," Sturgeon claimed. "There are no shortages of attacks on women that feminists, real feminists, as I consider myself to be, should be focusing on right now."

The nationalist leader accused other women of trying to "stigmatize and discriminate" against transsexuals.

English-born Rowling has lived in Scotland since moving there with her very young daughter to live with her sister in Edinburgh, after separating from her violent husband.

For Women Scotland hit back at Sturgeon later on Friday, highlighting two recent cases where trans or gender non-binary individuals escaped jail sentences for sexual assault charges.

Royal Navy sailor Triss Smythe was cleared of charges this week after a court-martial convened in Wiltshire accepted his defense that as a "demisexual" person he could not have had a sexual motive when he grabbed another male sailor from behind, kissed and licked his neck and grinded his erect penis against him.

Demisexuals are believed to feel sexually attracted to someone only after a strong emotional or romantic bond is formed. "I am demisexual — with emotional requirements. It is on the asexual spectrum," Smythe told the court. "The fact is I’m demisexual — sexual urge isn’t something that comes easily with my own fiancée, let alone a colleague."

In another case in Scotland, 18-year-old Katie Dolatowski, who reportedly "identifies as a woman but was believed by her victim’s family to be a man," was given a non-custodial community service sentence after being convicted of violently sexually assaulting and threatening a 10-year-old girl in a public restroom at a supermarket in Dunfermline in 2021.

"If Sturgeon thinks being a TW [trans woman] precludes violent assault it follows that any attacks by eg Katie Dolotowski either render their trans identity null & void or our FM thinks Dolowtoski, as a TW rather than a "man", could not have committed the crime," For Women Scotland tweeted.

"Either way it goes hard on victims who are exposed to those 'pretending' until after the attack has taken place instead of being protected or who are gaslighted and told their assailant must be innocent due to their identity."