Author Rowling accuses Yousaf of ‘showing absolute contempt for women’

HARRY Potter author JK Rowling has accused Humza Yousaf of “showing absolute contempt for women” after he said trans women would be covered by the Scottish Government’s new misogyny law.

The First Minister’s comments came as he defended the new hate crime legislation and the decision not to include sex as a protected characteristic.

He told the BBC that the government would be coming forward with a standalone misogyny Bill with “urgency and pace”.

Asked if this legislation would also cover trans women, Mr Yousaf said it would.

“Women and girls will be protected and, of course, trans women will also be protected as well because they will often also be the ones who suffer from threats of rape, for example, or threats of disfigurement,” he said.

“It may be the case that a trans woman when, for example, they’re walking down the street and a threat of rape is made against them, the man who’s making the threat of rape against them doesn’t know if they’re a trans woman, they will very simply make that threat because their perception of that person is as a woman,” the First Minister added.

On X, Ms Rowling tweeted: “Once again, @Humzayousaf makes his absolute contempt for women and their rights clear. Women were excluded from his nonsensical hate crime law, now he introduces a ‘misogyny law’ designed to also protect men.”

During the Hate Crime and Public Order Act’s passage through Holyrood, a number of women’s groups, including Engender and Rape Crisis Scotland, argued against making sex a protected characteristic, stating that a separate law was necessary.

However, other campaigners, women’s groups and politicians disagreed.

The Scottish Government commissioned Baroness Helena Kennedy to look into the need for legislation. She made a number of recommendations.

It was thought that the Bill could be brought to Holyrood ahead of the summer recess, but the timetable is now less certain.

In the Chamber at Holyrood, Justice Secretary Angela Constance said she hoped to introduce it as soon as possible.

The row came as Police Scotland reported a “significant reduction” in the number of calls being made under the new hate crime laws.

The force received 1,832 online hate reports between April 8 and April 14, down from 7,152 the previous week, a fall of around 75%.

The “vast majority” were anonymous, with most resulting in no further action being taken.

Some 213 hate crimes were recorded, down from 240.