JK Rowling: ‘No criminality’ in trans activists’ tweet, police say, that revealed Harry Potter author’s home address

Police have said they will not be charging trans activists who posted a message on Twitter against JK Rowling.

Inquiries were carried out after the Harry Potter author complained she had been the victim of “doxing” by “activist actors” who she said had shared photos outside her home, showing her address.

Doxing refers to someone making another person’s personal information public with potential malicious intent.

Rowling, 56, has become a controversial figure and repeatedly made headlines for her comments on sex and gender issues, but vehemently denies allegations of transphobia.

Tweeting about the incident in November, she said she had been targeted for “speaking up for women’s sex-based rights”.

“My family’s address was posted on Twitter by three activist actors who took pictures of themselves in front of our house, carefully positioning themselves to ensure that our address was visible,” she said at the time.

The campaigners deleted the tweet the day after it was posted.

In a statement on Monday, a spokesperson for Police Scotland said “no criminality has been established” following inquiries.

Earlier this month, it emerged that Rowling’s name had been dropped by a secondary school in Chelmsford, Essex, as a title for one of its houses, over her “comments and viewpoints surrounding trans people”.

‘People who menstruate’

The controversy surrounding Rowling began in June 2020, when she responded to an article headlined “Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate”.

She tweeted: “‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”

The author defended her comments, saying: “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction.”

A few days after posting the tweet, she shared a lengthy essay about the issue on her website, detailing her reasons for speaking out on sex and gender issues – saying she was partly motivated because of her experience of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

“Trans rights are human rights and of course trans lives matter,” she said in the post.

However, her views are considered gender-critical by some and she has drawn condemnation from some LGBTQ+ groups.

Stars of the Harry Potter films including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, have all issued statements saying they disagree with the author.