J.K. Rowling has created a new organization that is a “legal fighting fund for women protecting their sex-based rights,” furthering her financial commitment to funding anti-trans legislation.
The UK Supreme Court made headlines last month for its ruling that meant that trans women can no longer be legally considered women. Rowling herself celebrated the move and had contributed the equivalent of $92,000 to the group that brought the case against the Scottish government.
Last week, the Harry Potter author posted on X saying that she’d “happily fund” legal action “on the basis of sex discrimination.” She then confirmed that she’d support a cis woman incarcirated with a transgender woman who wanted to sue, writing, “I’d give financial backing to any woman who wanted to sue because she suffered detriments through being incarcerated with a man.”
The “J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund,” which appears to have been created recently, is a private fund, meaning that it gets its money from Rowling’s personal wealth. This means that others cannot donate, as she clarified on X, “I looked into all options and a private fund is the most efficient, streamlined way for me to do this.”
For one, the group funds women and organizations who believe they have been made to comply with “unreasonable inclusion policies” or who have faced professional difficulties because of their “expressed beliefs.” Screening questions include asking organizations whether they have “been forced to adopt policies regarding female-only spaces or trans inclusion that you fundamentally disagree with.”
The news of Rowling’s fund comes as HBO has finalized the casting for their series based on the book. As per Forbes, she’s estimated to earn around $20 million per year for her involvement in the series.
The creation of the fund subsequently attracted backlash, furthering calls for a boycott of licensed Harry Potter products. Meanwhile, Rowling has continued to post anti-trans rhetoric on X, including referring to trans women and “men in skirts” and accusing them of coordinating “a hostile takeover.”
It’s certainly not the first time people have called for a boycott — Pedro Pascal even chimed in last month to write of Rowling, “Awful disgusting SHIT is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behavior.”
This morning, Forbes wrote that “Rowling’s business empire is now larger than ever” and she is once again a billionaire.