Author J.K. Rowling has reignited her public dispute with former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, labeling her a "world-class misogynist" and the "blindest wife ever." The comments came in response to new additions to Sturgeon's memoir, "Frankly," as it is released in paperback.
The long-standing public disagreement between Rowling and Sturgeon has primarily centered on issues of transgender rights. Rowling, a vocal critic of policies allowing self-identification for gender recognition, has consistently opposed the Scottish National Party's (SNP) stance under Sturgeon's leadership. The Scottish Parliament passed the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill in 2023, which aimed to allow individuals to self-identify their gender, but the bill was subsequently blocked by the UK government.
Rowling's latest remarks on X, formerly Twitter, were prompted by an updated foreword in Sturgeon's memoir. In this update, Sturgeon reportedly accused her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, of subjecting her to "suspicion, humiliation and vilification." Murrell was recently sentenced to over five years in prison after pleading guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP. The police investigation, Operation Branchform, that led to Murrell's conviction cleared Sturgeon and former party treasurer Colin Beattie. Sturgeon has denied any knowledge of her husband's alleged wrongdoings.
Rowling's statement on X read: "I'm astonished that Sturgeon turns out to be not only a world-class misogynist, the blindest wife ever to enjoy the fruits of a fraudster husband’s theft, but also profoundly disloyal to the party and the political allies who once revered her."
This is not the first time Rowling has publicly criticized Sturgeon. In 2022, Rowling wore a t-shirt with the slogan "Destroyer of Women's Rights" in protest against the Scottish Government's gender recognition reform laws. At the time, Sturgeon called for respectful dialogue among those with strong views. Last year, Rowling also shared a photograph of her annotated copy of Sturgeon's memoir, expressing strong disapproval with expletives and offering the scribbled-on book for auction to benefit the women's rights group @ForWomenScot.
Sturgeon, in turn, has previously described critics of her party's proposed gender rights reforms as "deeply misogynist, often homophobic, possibly racist as well." Regarding Rowling's attention, Sturgeon stated, "Where does she get the time to obsess about me? I hate to tell her that it’s just not reciprocated."