JK Rowling, Joe Rogan and Elon Musk are fuming over Scotland’s hate crime law. Here’s why.
www.politico.eu
A legal shake-up aimed at protecting minorities angers high-profile opponents on freedom of speech grounds.

It was no April Fool’s joke.

Harry Potter author-turned culture warrior J.K. Rowling kicked off the month with an 11-tweet social media thread in which she argued 10 transgender women were men — and dared Scottish police to arrest her.

Rowling’s intervention came as a controversial new Scottish government law, aimed at protecting minority groups from hate crimes, took effect. And it landed amid a fierce debate over both the legal status of transgender people in Scotland and over what actually constitutes a hate crime.

Already the law has generated far more international buzz than is normal for legislation passed by a small nation’s devolved parliament.

  • PhobosAnomaly@feddit.ukEnglish
    419·
    8 months ago

    I didn’t quite catch your username first time round, a happy co-incidence!

    I was under the impression that her tweets weren’t illegal - even if she is being a bit of a bellend about it. I’m not sure whether it is outright legal, or whether it just doesn’t meet the threshold to secure a likely conviction.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
      265·
      8 months ago

      Not 100% sure but:

      The recent law is against “deadnaming” so Rowling keeps dead naming people on Twitter and daring cops to do something about it.

      Which I don’t think they will, because she’ll throw millions of dollars worth of lawyers at them.

      So she is (as far as I know) breaking the law

      • Danquebec@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        31·
        8 months ago

        I don’t understand how throwing millions of dollars at lawyers will help if she’s indeed breaking the law. Wouldn’t that be something easy to prove for a regular lawyer?