J.K. Rowling’s using her Harry Potter money to back a new organization that’s focused on taking away rights from trans people. The group’s targeting things like work protections, public access, and spaces meant for women only.
Rowling announces a new fund on social media
The author announced in a Saturday post to X, formerly Twitter, that she would be founding the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund, using her personal fortune.
The group’s mission focuses on sex-based rights
The group’s website says it’s there to help fund legal support for people and organizations trying to keep “sex-based rights” in jobs, public life, and spaces for women.
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Basically, it’s backing people who don’t want trans women included in women’s spaces.
She says a private fund is the most efficient route
“I looked into all options and a private fund is the most efficient, streamlined way for me to do this,” she said.
“Lots of people are offering to contribute, which I truly appreciate, but there are many other women’s rights orgs that could do with the money, so donate away, just not to me!”
Rowling has a history of funding anti-trans causes
This isn’t the first time Rowling’s thrown money into anti-trans fights. She’s worth over a billion dollars and has used that to influence laws and legal cases around “sex-based rights.”
That term is usually used by groups who want to define women by their biology and push trans people out of public spaces.
She donated to a group challenging trans-inclusive laws
In 2024, Rowling gave £70,000 (about $88,200) to a group called For Women Scotland. They’d just lost a case where they tried to block a law from 2018 that let trans women be recognized as women in Scotland.
They weren’t done, though. They appealed the case and took it to the U.K. Supreme Court.
The UK Supreme Court sided with the group
The court ended up ruling that under the U.K.’s Equality Act, trans women don’t count as women.
It was a big win for Rowling’s side. And she didn’t exactly keep quiet about it.
Rowling reacted with a controversial victory post
Rowling responded to the decision by posting a picture of her having a drink and smoking a cigar, with the text “I love it when a plan comes together.”
Pedro Pascal condemned Rowling’s actions
A lot of people slammed her for that, including Pedro Pascal — the actor from The Mandalorian and The Last of Us.
He called the post serious “Voldemort villain sh-t” and even called Rowling a “heinous loser.”
He urged fans to boycott all Harry Potter products
Pascal’s younger sister Lux is trans, and he used his platform to call for a full Harry Potter boycott.
He told fans to stop buying anything related to the franchise, including the HBO show and the stuff at Universal Studios.
“It’s time to tell these corporations that transphobia loses money,” he said.
Rowling doesn’t seem bothered by the backlash, but a lot of people clearly still have strong feelings about it.
