JK Rowling has hit out at Nicola Sturgeon after an SNP equality officer's abusive tweets threatening violence against women were made public.
The Harry Potter author, attacked the First Minister following the revelations of Cameron Downing's tweets where he claimed he wanted to "beat the f*** out of some terfs and transphobes" in a series of now-deleted messages. SNP equalities officer Downing, who also said he "f****** hate[d] terfs and transphobes with such a passion", has since apologised for the tweets.
'Terf' is an acronym that stands for 'trans-exclusionary radical feminist' that has been applied by trans rights activists to those they see as opposing legislation on gender issues.
Tweeting a link to the article by the Record's sister paper the Sunday Mail, Rowling said: "Nicola Sturgeon’s Scotland: a place where an Equalities Officer feels free to declare in public how much he wants to beat up non-compliant women."
In a subsequent message responding to a reply from a fan, she added: "Oh, I’m sure the First Feminist will be all over it, what with her a sterling record of taking women’s concerns seriously and loudly condemning rape and death threats to members of her own party."
Rowling made headlines last week after posting an image of herself wearing a t-shirt bearing the slogan "Nicola Sturgeon, destroyer of women's rights" on the day that Holyrood's equalities committee recommended that new laws on gender recognition should be approved by MSPs. She accompanied the image with a tweet mentioning For Women Scotland, a gender critical pressure group that rallied outside parliament in opposition to the Gender Recognition Reform bill on Thursday.
The author wrote: "I stand in solidarity with @ForWomenScot and all women protesting and speaking outside the Scottish parliament. #NoToSelfID." Rowling has become a figurehead in the women's rights movement - but some, including the stars of the Harry Potter franchise, have distanced themselves from her over her views.
In response, the First Minister told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland radio programme that the author was "entitled to express [her] views", but defended the proposals to simplify the gender recognition process in Scotland. Sturgeon added: "This Bill is about reforming an existing process that is degrading and traumatic for trans people, seeking to make it less traumatic for those who want to legally change their gender."
The bill, if passed, would allow trans people to declare their chosen gender after three months, rather than two years, and would lower the age limit from 18 to 16. Those changing their gender would also undergo a further three month reflection period - and would have to sign a legally declaration that they intend to live in their chosen gender permanently.
Critics of the proposed law claim it would erode women's rights and be open to abuse from people who are not seeking a genuine gender identity change. MSPs are due to debate the intricacies of the bill later this month.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to our daily newsletter here.
