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On May 25, 2025, podcaster Riley Gaines took to X to celebrate the launch of J.K. Rowling Women's Fund. In the caption of the post, Gaines highlighted,
"@jk_rowling is a modern day civil rights hero. Thank you."
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According to The National, the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund (JKRWF) is a private fund organisation, launched to provide financial support to those "fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights, including in workplaces, public life, and in protected female spaces."
The official website of the JKRWF notes that the fund provides women the confidence and money to "justice cases that make legal precedents, force policy change, and make positive contributions to women’s lives in the future." It further states that the JKRWF requires interested individuals to hire a lawyer for themselves, and "have a clear desired outcome to your case."
The website states that the fund supports women and organizations who lost jobs or face legal issues for their beliefs. It also helps those fighting strict inclusion rules about single-sex spaces or female-only events, as well as people challenging laws. The fund is meant for those who can't afford legal representation.
More about J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund
As reported by Pink News, the 59-year-old author's decision to launch the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund came after she celebrated the judgment of the UK Supreme Court, which ruled that under the Equality Act of 2010, the word "women" refers to "biological" sex or "certified" sex.
The outlet also noted that Rowling has donated to For Women Scotland (FWS), a women's rights group, which argued that sex-based protections should be applied to people who are assigned female at birth.
More about the UK court's ruling on gender
On April 16, 2025, five judges unanimously ruled that under the Equality Act of 2010, which is an anti-discrimination law, the word women refers to biological sex or certified sex, and excludes transgender women who hold gender recognition certificates (GRCs), as reported by The New York Times on May 16.
Announcing the verdict, Deputy President of the UK Supreme Court, Lord Patrick Hodge, stated,
"The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. But we counsel against reading this judgement as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another, it is not."
He further stated that transgender individuals would still be protected against discrimination, however, those rights will be recognized under "gender reassignment" rather than biological sex.
Implications of the UK court's ruling on gender
While prominent figures like J.K. Rowling have expressed support for the verdict, others, including several trans advocacy groups, have voiced their concern over it.
Green Party member in Scottish Parliament, Maggie Chapman, stated that the ruling is a "huge blow" for the most oppressed individuals in our society, adding,
"Trans people have been cynically targeted and demonised by politicians and large parts of the media for far too long. This has contributed to attacks on longstanding rights and attempts to erase their existence altogether."
Subsequently, a campaign group, Scottish Trans, asked concerned indivuduals to "remain calm," and said that the Supreme court has reversed 20 years of legal understanding, as trans individuals with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) were recognized in their acquired gender under the Gender Recognition Act 2004, As reported by The Guardian on April 16, 2025.
"We are really shocked by today’s supreme court decision, which reverses 20 years of understanding of how the law recognises trans men and women with gender recognition certificates. We will continue working for a world in which trans people can get on with their lives with privacy, dignity and safety. That is something we all deserve."
The outlet noted that the ruling may have several other implications for transgender individuals, like restrictions on accessing places reserved for women, as the ruling states that "single-sex spaces" like women-only bathrooms, shelters, or changing rooms are protected by law.
"We have always supported the protection of single-sex spaces based on biological sex. Single-sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by this government," the court ruling noted.
Meanwhile, on the same day of the ruling, J.K. Rowling in an X post expressed,
"It took three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women with an army behind them to get this case heard by the Supreme Court and, in winning, they’ve protected the rights of women and girls across the UK. @ForWomenScot , I’m so proud to know you."
J.K. Rowling further made a series of X posts, celebrating the ruling, including one where she is seen smoking a cigar on a yacht.
J.K. Rowling also sparked controversies in June 2020 on X by criticizing an article titled, Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate, according to The Hindustan Times.
Born on July 31, 1965, J.K. Rowling has a net worth of $1 billion, as reported by Celebrity Net Worth.
