As Dr. Q Manivannan and Iris Duane became the country's first trans MSPs, the 'Harry Potter' author showed support for an anti-trans MSP who lost her bid for reelection
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NEED TO KNOW
- Scotland elected its first two transgender MSPs, Dr. Q Manivannan and Iris Duane, on May 8
- J.K. Rowling voiced support for anti-trans former MSP Dr. Pam Gosal after Gosal lost her reelection bid
- In the wake of the historic election, Rowling also criticized U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer for appointing a pro-trans adviser
Scotland has elected its first two transgender members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). Following the historic election, J.K. Rowling is posting in support of an MSP hopeful who lost — and who, much like the author, has previously been vocal about her anti-transgender views.
On Friday, May 8, Dr. Q Manivannan and Iris Duane were elected to the Scottish Parliament, both representing the Scottish Green Party. Manivannan and Duane were elected for the Edinburgh and Lothians East region and the Glasgow region, respectively.
“Hope. All we ask for is hope," Duane, who uses she/her pronouns wrote on Instagram Stories in response to the "historic moment."
Manivannan, who uses they/them pronouns, is also Scotland's first nonbinary MSP, according to a post they shared jointly with Edinburgh Greens and its youth wing.
“My name is Dr Q Manivannan, I am a transgender Tamil immigrant, my pronouns are they/them,” the newly minted MSP told a crowd of supporters in Edinburgh while celebrating the win, per The Independent. “I am to some in this country everything that the hateful despise and I am standing here as your MSP now with care.”
“This is what diversity looks like in power,” they added later in the post-election address.
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While the duo celebrated their victories and the historic nature of the election, some on social media pointed out that as a resident of Edinburgh, Rowling — who has previously been criticized for anti-transgender comments — is now represented by a trans politician.
Following the election, the Harry Potter author, 60, spoke out by sharing a post in support of Dr. Pam Gosal, a now-former MSP who was seeking reelection, and who has also been criticized for anti-transgender comments. (Most recently, Gosal came under fire for, like Rowling, supporting the controversial United Kingdom Supreme Court ruling that trans women are not legally women.)
On Saturday, May 9, Rowling wrote, “Hear, hear,” alongside a repost of Scottish writer Susan Dalgety's X post in support of Gosal, framing the former MSP as an example of positive “diversity” in politics.
Dalgety's post included a photo of the former MSP alongside Manivannan's quote, “This is what diversity looks like in power.” Dalgety also described Gosal as a “staunch defender of women's rights,” and thanked her “for everything you did for women and girls.”
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The same day, Rowling — who first came under fire in 2020 for making remarks widely condemned as transphobic — also called out U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer for appointing an adviser who is outspoken in their support of the trans community.
Rowling shared a transphobic post slamming Starmer, 63, for announcing Harriet Harman as his newly appointed Adviser on Women and Girls.
“Bravo, @Keir_Starmer, for getting in an Adviser on Women and Girls who thinks the definition of women and girls includes men and boys,” the famed author wrote on X. “That'll definitely win back people who believe Labour's a party for smug, lanyard-wearing, luxury-belief-espousing cultural elitists."
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She also shared a portion of a quote from Harman asserting that trans women are women, writing, “You cannot defend what you're afraid to define.”
Harman made the statement while sharing her support for U.K. legislation that allows trans people in the country to legally change their gender.
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"I stand behind the Gender Recognition Act. So as far as I'm concerned, women are women who are born women, but women are also women who are trans women," she said in a 2022 interview, per Sky News. "I think that we also need to recognise that in some respects there need to be same-sex services, which can be delivered and you can't have a blanket exclusion of trans women, but in certain circumstances, in narrow circumstances, you can restrict those services."
Rowling has long been outspoken about her anti-trans views, which has drawn backlash from several Harry Potter stars, as well as other celebrities and public figures.
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