Kezia Dugdale, incoming Stonewall chair, says sorry after backlash over JK Rowling remarks | Kezia Dugdale
The new chief executive of LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall said he was “truly sorry” after expressing “huge respect” for JK Rowling in an interview with the Guardian. Kezia Dugdale, the former leader of the Scottish Labor Party, said she understood her remarks had caused “concern, anger and upset and for that she was truly sorry”.
During an interview on the Today in Focus podcast in Edinburgh to mark her appointment as chair of Stonewall, Dugdale was asked what she thought of the way Rowling spoke about transgender people.
She said: “I have great respect for JK Rowling. I had the pleasure of meeting her before and I think her story and how she went from being a single mother writing in a café in this city to this prolific, incredible children’s author is extraordinary and inspiring.”
The Guardian later stated that many trans people felt that the way Rowling voiced her views on social media was “cruel and inhumane” and contributed to them feeling “unwelcome and unaccepted in society”.
Dugdale continued: “I understand that, and I’ve also heard JK Rowling and others who have a different position than me on these issues describe with similar naivety how they’ve experienced their views being challenged. And I think, you know, I think these culture wars, these days of polar extremes, need to be gone.”
He called for “generosity, a willingness to go into the gray area to talk about these issues calmly.”
These remarks sparked a backlash from both trans advocates and gender-critical feminists. Inside NationalTrans writer Steph Paton accused Dugdale of embarking on her new role “with a commitment to making Stonewall even more toothless and irrelevant than it already is”.
Philosophy professor Kathleen Stock, who resigned from the University of Sussex after becoming the target of protests for her views on gender ideology. wrote in the Times “former Scottish Labor leader has done the unthinkable and praised JK Rowling”.
Dugdale responding to reactions published a statement He says: “In my first interview as Stonewall’s new president, I was asked a question about JK Rowling. When I answered, I had to be absolutely clear that I would never condone any behavior that sought to harm or harm anyone in our community. This is a red line for me, and it should be for all of us. I understand that the interview caused concern, anger and upset, and I am truly sorry about that.”
“In a world that is increasingly polarized and where transgender people have been under constant attack for the last decade, I was thrilled to be appointed president of Stonewall. I applied for the role because Stonewall works for the entire LGBTQ+ community. I would not apply or want to lead a charity that was not inclusive of the entire community because feminism is and always has been trans inclusive.”
Dugdale will take over as president from transgender Ayla Holdom in September.
“Our commitment to trans equality is unwavering. Our values drive who we are, and as a trans woman, I will pass the baton to Kezia, confident in her steadfast commitment to trans and non-binary individuals and her ability to work in partnership with other organizations to drive progress for the entire LGBTQ+ community,” Holdom said.
