JK Rowling, the renowned author of the Harry Potter series, has revealed she was among nearly 3,000 people who declared themselves as “believers in biology” in Scotland’s 2022 national census. This act of protest was in response to the controversial decision allowing Scots to self-identify their sex in the survey.
The National Records of Scotland reported that 2,883 individuals wrote this entry in the religion section of the census form. Rowling proudly announced, “I was one of those people,” solidifying her position as a prominent voice in the ongoing debate surrounding gender identity and biological sex.
JK Rowling previously voiced support for a female grappler Ansleigh Wilk. Wilk competed in a tournament where she unexpectedly faced a trans athlete in her division. According to Wilk, she was not informed beforehand and felt it was unfair that she had no say in whether or not to compete against the athlete.
After winning the match, Wilk shared her frustrations on social media, expressing concerns about the lack of transparency and how it affected her and other female competitors. She argued that the experience was unsettling for some participants, who were unaware they would be competing against a trans athlete. This is especially unsettling in combat sports.
In response, author J.K. Rowling publicly supported Wilk, commending her for standing up for fairness and safety in women’s sports.
The census guidance, which permitted people to select their own sex, drew criticism from campaigners who argued that biological sex should be the basis for data collection. Women’s groups called for a coordinated response, fearing that vital statistics about biological sex used for planning services would be compromised.
Susan Smith of For Women Scotland expressed enthusiasm about the impact of their census action, stating, “We are absolutely thrilled that our census action made such an impact. Knowing history will record that JK Rowling was one of those 3,000 has been the icing on the cake.”
The protest echoed the actions of suffragettes over a century ago, who boycotted the 1911 census and wrote messages of protest on their forms. Gender critical campaigners in Scotland encouraged protesters to order paper versions of the form to disrupt the survey’s smooth operation and ensure their stand would be preserved in historical records.
Many respondents decorated their forms with stickers and ribbons in the suffragette colors of white, purple, and green. Some even humorously wrote that they traveled to work by “broomstick” in reference to gender critical women often being referred to as witches.
Maya Forstater, chief executive of Sex Matters, commented on the scale of the protest, saying it was “further proof that sex and gender is not a fringe issue to be dismissed.” She emphasized the importance of collecting clear sex-based data for the government to understand and meet women’s needs.
The census results also revealed interesting religious demographics in Scotland. The majority of respondents, 2.78 million, said they had no religion. Among those who did claim a faith, 1.11 million identified as Church of Scotland, 723,322 as Roman Catholic, and 119,872 as Muslim. Notably, 5,409 individuals playfully declared themselves as “Jedi Knights.”
