U.K. Broadcaster Reports J.K. Rowling To Authorities For Transphobic Remarks

India Willoughby, the cohost of ITV’s all-woman talk show Loose Women and Britain’s first transgender national television reader, has revealed that she recently lodged a formal complaint with the police against Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling for alleged transphobia.

In an interview with Byline TV on Wednesday, Willoughby disclosed her actions in response to her ongoing social media feud with Rowling, who has repeatedly misgendered her and is accused of committing a crime.

In the interview, Willoughby asserted her legal status as a woman and expressed her discontent with Rowling’s consistent disrespect. She emphasized that such behavior constitutes a breach of both the Equalities Act and the Gender Recognition Act, as it targets a protected characteristic. Willoughby stated that she reported Rowling to the Northumbria Police in recent days.

The U.K.’s Crown Prosecution Service recognizes hostility based on transgender identity as a potential hate crime.

A spokesperson from the Northumbria Police confirmed that they received a complaint on March 4 about a social media post, but refrained from disclosing the identities of the individuals involved. The department stated that they are currently awaiting further communication with the complainant.

On March 4, Rowling tweeted that Willoughby “didn’t become a woman” and is “cosplaying a misogynistic male fantasy of what a woman is.” Willoughby described the responses to Rowling’s posts as “putrid” and characterized them as some of the most severe instances of abuse she has encountered on social media.

After the broadcast of Willoughby’s interview, Rowling responded to the allegations and threatened to pursue a harassment claim against the broadcaster. She claimed that her lawyers had advised her that she had a strong case for defamation against Willoughby and that Willoughby’s persistent targeting over the past few years might meet the legal threshold for harassment.

In a social media post, Rowling wrote, “Some time ago, lawyers advised me that not only did I have a clearly winnable case against India Willoughby for defamation, but that India’s obsessive targeting of me over the past few years may meet the legal threshold for harassment.”

Rowling continued, “I ignored this advice because I couldn’t be bothered giving India the publicity he so clearly craves.” She later added, “Aware as I am that it’s an offense to lie to law enforcement, I’ll simply have to explain to the police that, in my view, India is a classic example of the male narcissist who lives in a state of perpetual rage that he can’t compel women to take him at his own valuation.”

Last August, the Museum of Pop Culture removed Rowling from their exhibits due to her “transphobic” remarks.