Transgender activists who publicized “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling’s home address on social media will not be criminally charged, Scottish police said Tuesday.
On the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance in November, comedian Holly Stars, actor Georgia Frost and drag star Richard Energy staged a demonstration in front of Rowling’s home near Edinburgh, Scotland, to protest her views on the trans community.
The trio were criticized for posting a now-deleted photo on Twitter with Rowling’s home address visible in the background.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said in an email Tuesday that “enquiries were carried out and no criminality has been established.”
Through a representative, Rowling declined a request for comment about the decision.
Rowling had bashed the trio on Twitter for “doxxing” her, a word used when people’s private information is shared online without their consent.
“I have to assume that @IAmGeorgiaFrost, @hollywstars and @Richard_Energy_ thought doxxing me would intimidate me out of speaking up for women’s sex-based rights,” Rowling wrote. “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.”
She added, “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.”
Stars, who previously defended posting the photo, said she deleted the tweet after she received online threats.
“While we stand by the photo, since posting it we have received an overwhelming amount of serious and threatening transphobic messages so have decided to take the photo down,” Stars wrote. “Love to our trans siblings.”
Rowling has been at odds with many in the LGBTQ community for her views on trans people, which some have called transphobic.
The rift blew up in 2019 when Rowling expressed her support for Maya Forstater, a British tax specialist who was fired for tweets that were deemed to be anti-transgender. Rowling then drew criticism for a slew of tweets that many said included transphobic ideas.
In 2020, after she mocked a news headline that read “people who menstruate,” Rowling wrote: “If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.”
She doubled down on her views in a nearly 4,000-word blog post in 2020, questioning whether a “contagion” fueled by social media has led to the rise in the number of young people coming out as transgender.
In the blog post, she also revealed that she is a survivor of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
“So I want trans women to be safe. At the same time, I do not want to make natal girls and women less safe. When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman — and, as I’ve said, gender confirmation certificates may now be granted without any need for surgery or hormones — then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside. That is the simple truth,” she wrote.
Stars from the “Harry Potter” films have distanced themselves from Rowling over the last several years following her inflammatory remarks on the trans community.
Notably, the series’ lead actor, Daniel Radcliffe, hit back at Rowling last year in an essay, declaring that “transgender women are women.”
Cast members from all eight films of the “Harry Potter” series released a behind-the-scenes reunion special on New Year’s Day to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the film franchise. The special, which premiered on the streaming service HBO Max, notably did not feature Rowling.
