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J.K Rowling (C) attends the memorial service for former Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling at St Margaret's Episcopal Cathedral on December 19, 2023 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Labour politician entered politics as a Lothian Regional Councillor in 1982 and represented Edinburgh as a Labour MP from 1987 to 2015. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Gordon Brown from 2007 to 2010 during the 2007-2008 financial crisis. A key figure in the Scottish independence debate, Darling was chairman of the 'Better Together' campaign, advocating to keep Scotland in the Union. He passed away on November 30, 2023, at 70, survived by his wife, Maggie, and their two children, Anna and Calum. (Photo by Euan Cherry/Getty Images)
Photo by Euan Cherry/Getty Images

Why was J.K. Rowling reported to the police by a former ‘Big Brother’ star, and how has she responded?

Maybe the police will take her off to Azkaban.

One day they’ll write books about J.K. Rowling and her fall from grace. A decade ago she was loved by all and many saw her as an ally to the LGBT community; fast forward to today and she’s a pariah who’s been reported to the police thanks to her clashes with trans journalist India Willoughby.

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Rowling, who is currently working with Warner Bros. on a Harry Potter serial remake, has butted heads with Willoughby numerous times in the past, though their most recent altercation on X was exceptionally nasty. It started when someone sent Rowling a video of the former Celebrity Big Brother star asking whether she should be made to use the men’s locker room. The author’s response was to misgender and insult Willoughby:

Why were the police called?

Since then things have continued to spiral. Once Willoughby caught wind of what the author had said about her she responded and the two have been trading blows for the last few days. Deadline reports that Willoughby spoke to the police on Monday, March 4th. As per the Crown Prosecution Service guidelines, “transgender identity” is indeed covered under hate crime legislation in the United Kingdom.

Has J.K. Rowling responded?

As you might guess, Rowling was quick to respond and did not back down. She claims the journalist’s remarks against her are “defamation” and “obsessive targeting”. The whole thing has quickly devolved into a mud-slinging contest, with the author bringing up previous posts from the former Big Brother star that haven’t aged well, (to put it lightly). She’s even made threats to take legal action against Willoughby herself.

Rowling also cited the Forstater ruling which says that “gender critical” views are a philosophical belief and therefore are protected, based on current UK laws. However, it seems unlikely that the author will be arrested for what she’s said. Although her legal threat is just as unlikely to lead to anything, despite her confidently claiming that Willoughby is harassing her, it’s hard to stand by that when Rowling started this most recent argument in the first place. 


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Author
Image of Jordan Collins
Jordan Collins
Jordan is a freelance writer who has been featured in a number of publications. He has a Masters in Creative Writing and loves telling that to anyone who will listen. Aside from that he often spends time getting lost in films, books and games. He particularly enjoys fantasy from The Legend of Zelda to The Lord of the Rings.