Overview

• Rowling announced the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund on May 24 to provide legal grants aimed at reversing or challenging trans-inclusive policies across workplaces, public venues, or female-only spaces.
• The fund’s strict criteria ask whether applicants have faced income loss or policy conflicts due to beliefs that biological sex is unchangeable.
• In 2024, Rowling contributed £70,000 to For Women Scotland, a group that secured a Supreme Court ruling excluding trans women from misogyny protections under the Equality Act 2010.
• The new initiative reignited boycotts of Harry Potter products and the upcoming HBO adaptation, with critics such as Pedro Pascal urging fans to withhold support.
• Despite protests, HBO has finalized casting for its Potter series, and Forbes estimates Rowling will earn about $20 million per year from the project.