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JK Rowling thanks police after activists share home address online

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 11: J.K. Rowling attends the premiere of
JK Rowling's home address was revealed on Twitter. (Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

JK Rowling has thanked police and fans for their support after a group of activists tweeted her home address, saying their concern had "made all the difference" to her family.

The Harry Potter author was targeted by activists who disagree with her stance on protecting sex-based rights for women.

Read more: John Cleese defends signing letter of support for JK Rowling

Last Friday, they had taken a photo outside of her home which revealed her personal address and circulated it online, in a move she believes was designed to intimidate her against speaking out further on her views.

The author thanked fans for their support. (Getty Images)
The author thanked fans for their support. (Getty Images)

Rowling, who is notoriously private about her family life, tweeted: "I want to say a massive thank you to everybody who reported the image to @TwitterSupport. Your kindness and decency made all the difference to my family and me. I’d also like to thank @PoliceScotland for their support and assistance in this matter."

The writer also asked for anyone who had retweeted the image, even in support of her, to delete it.

She named a number of women who had been targeted in a similar way over recent years, saying she was "appalled" that they had been "subject to campaigns of intimidation which range from being hounded on social media, the targeting of their employers, all the way up to doxxing and direct threats of violence, including rape."

Rowling continued: "None of these women are protected in the way I am. They and their families have been put into a state of fear and distress for no other reason than that they refuse to uncritically accept that the socio-political concept of gender identity should replace that of sex."

Commenting that she assumed the activists who targeted her last week thought they could intimidate her into silence, she continued: "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.

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"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."

Rowling has received death threats since being accused of transphobia over tweets about the use of the word "woman" and an essay she wrote arguing for single-sex bathrooms and changing rooms to protect women.

Harry Potter prequel, hand-written by JK Rowling, stolen in burglary
JK Rowling has been targeted with death threats over her views. (Getty Images)

Last year, she had tweeted with a link to a story headlined: “Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate.”

She tweeted: “‘People who menstruate’. I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”

She had also tweeted: “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. 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.”

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