JK Rowling has sported a t-shirt accusing Nicola Sturgeon of being a “destroyer of women’s rights”.
The Harry Potter author posted a picture of her donning the garment as protesters who oppose the Scottish Government’s gender recognition proposals demonstrated outside Holyrood.
The protest came as Holyrood’s Human Rights Committee published its report into the gender recognition legislation – with a majority of MSPs backing the plans.
The proposals would remove the need for a medical diagnosis replaced by self-ID, while the age is set to drop from 18 to 16.
The plans are backed by all political parties at Holyrood, except the Conservatives.
But some campaigners claim the plans are a threat to women’s rights and single-sex spaces despite the legislation not impacting single-sex spaces.
Ms Rowling has been a critic of the gender recognition plans.
I stand in solidarity with @ForWomenScot and all women protesting and speaking outside the Scottish parliament. #NoToSelfID pic.twitter.com/5vZNaZu13H
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 6, 2022
Accompanying the photo of her in the t-shirt, Ms Rowling said she would “stand in solidarity” with “all women protesting and speaking outside the Scottish Parliament”.
When SNP Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison gave evidence to the committee, a protester was asked to leave the room for wearing the same t-shirt.
Ms Robison said: “I welcome the Committee's support for the principles of the Bill, which will reform the system for obtaining a gender recognition certificate in Scotland.
READ MORE: Holyrood committee backs gender recognition reforms that 'will not remove women's rights'
“Legal gender recognition has been available for 18 years but many find the current system for obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate to be intrusive, medicalised and bureaucratic.
“This Bill aims to simplify and improve the process for a trans person to gain legal recognition, giving them better access to their existing rights.
“Our support for trans rights does not conflict with our continued strong commitment to uphold the rights and protections that women and girls currently have under the 2010 Equality Act. This Bill makes no changes to that Act.
“We will carefully consider the committee’s report ahead of the next stages of the bill."
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