Author JK Rowling has said she has received “so many death threats” she could wallpaper her house as she revealed she had been recently targeted by activists who published her address on the internet.
The Harry Potter writer posted on social media that she had been the subject of frequent abuse for her support of women’s sex-based rights, with the latest incident coming on Friday.
Ms Rowling has clashed in the past with the trans community over her views on gender and sex.
Naming the three activists involved, she said that they had photographed themselves outside her home, positioning the images carefully to reveal her address.
In the pictures the trio carry signs saying “Don’t be a cissy,” “Trans liberation now” and “Trans rights are human rights”.
The pictures were circulated from the trio’s Twitter accounts, sparking a race against time, with the social media giant’s administrators struggling to take them down after they were reported by both Ms Rowling and other users of the online messaging platform.
Last Friday, 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. 1/8
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) November 22, 2021
Police Scotland were also involved, and the author thanked them for their support.
In a long thread on her own account, the writer said the incident would not intimidate her or stop her from continuing to speak out.
She said: “Last Friday, 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.
“I want to say a massive thank you to everybody who reported the image to @TwitterSupport. Your kindness and decency made all the difference to my family and me. I’d also like to thank @PoliceScotland for their support and assistance in this matter.
“I implore those people who retweeted the image with the address still visible, even if they did so in condemnation of these people’s actions, to delete it.”
The writer added that she sympathised with “women like Allison Bailey, Raquel Sanchez, Marion Miller, Rosie Duffield, Joanna Cherry, Julie Bindel, Rosa Freedman, Kathleen Stock and many, many others, including women who have no public profile” who have been doxed in the past by trans rights activists.
I’ve now received so many death threats I could paper the house with them, and I haven’t stopped speaking out. Perhaps – and I’m just throwing this out there – the best way to prove your movement isn’t a threat to women, is to stop stalking, harassing and threatening us. 8/X
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) November 22, 2021
She said: “Women who have no public profile but who’ve contacted me to relate their experiences, have been subject to campaigns of intimidation which range from being hounded on social media, the targeting of their employers, all the way up to doxing and direct threats of violence, including rape.
“None of these women are protected in the way I am. They and their families have been put into a state of fear and distress for no other reason than that they refuse to uncritically accept that the socio-political concept of gender identity should replace that of sex.”
She added “I have to assume [The activists Twitter names] thought doxxing me would intimidate me out of speaking up for women’s sex-based rights.
"They should have reflected on the fact that I’ve now received so many death threats I could paper the house with them, and I haven’t stopped speaking out. Perhaps – and I’m just throwing this out there – the best way to prove your movement isn’t a threat to women, is to stop stalking, harassing and threatening us.”
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “We are aware of this incident and police inquiries are ongoing.”
Downing Street has criticised the targeting of JK Rowling by trans activists.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I don’t think any individual should be targeted in that way.
“We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect and that people are able to share their views as long as it is done in that fashion.”
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