'Shame on you:' Nicola Sturgeon heckled by feminist protester who JK Rowling offers to buy a drink
30 November 2022, 13:15
JK Rowling has mocked Nicola Sturgeon by offering to send a feminist activist who heckled her over her controversial plans to change gender law "a crate of her favourite tipple".
The First Minister was interrupted while giving a speech at a charity event promoting the end of male violence against women in Edinburgh - despite guests being asked to "refrain from discussions of the definition of a woman and single sex spaces".
Shame on Nicola Sturgeon
Scenes. In spite of all careful precautions, the First Minister has been accidentally exposed to some freedom of speech. Heads will surely roll.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) November 29, 2022
(If nobody's yet sent that heckler a crate of whatever her favourite tipple is, do please send me her details
🍾🔥🎉) https://t.co/k9iMHXeo4s
The unidentified heckler said: "Shame on you. You've fomented this culture in Scotland that basically tells women they are bigoted for standing up for
"And those of you sitting here are complicit, keeping your mouths shut while women have actually been raped by males who have self ID-ed as women.
'That's got nothing to do with trans rights, I support trans rights and have done for three decades now and I will continue to."
Ms Sturgeon apologised to attendees following the outburst but insisted she did not want to silence criticism adding: "I do not seek to close down anybody's freedom of speech. It is important that voices are heard."
Guests had been sent a note ahead of the event urging them not to mention the controversial gender reform plans that critics say will hurt women.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who has been a fierce critic of the First Minister, hailed the activist and offered to buy her drinks.
She tweeted: "Scenes. In spite of all careful precautions, the First Minister has been accidentally exposed to some freedom of speech. Heads will surely roll.
"(If nobody's yet sent that heckler a crate of whatever her favourite tipple is, do please send me her details)."
The Gender Recognition Reform Bill is set to remove the requirement for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria when seeking a gender recognition certificate.
It will also reduce the length of time an applicant must live in their acquired gender from two years to three months, with an additional three-month reflection period.
Defending the Bill earlier this week, Ms Sturgeon told Holyrood that violent men "do not need" to legally change gender to access women-only spaces.
