Kezia Dugdale has sought to address criticism over remarks she made about author JK Rowling after being appointed as the incoming Chair of Stonewall.
The former Scottish Labour leader came under scrutiny after a Guardian interview published on 19 April, in which she spoke about Rowling, whose views on gender identity and trans rights have been widely criticised by LGBTQ+ organisations and activists.
In the interview, Dugdale said she had “a huge respect” for Rowling and praised her personal story and campaigning on issues such as poverty and single mothers, adding that the author “absolutely has a place in public life” despite disagreement over trans issues . She also said she had heard Rowling and others who hold different views describe their experiences of being challenged “with a similar rawness” to that expressed by trans people, and called for an end to what she described as polarised “culture wars”.
The remarks prompted concern among some trans and non-binary campaigners, who said the comments appeared to draw an equivalence between criticism of Rowling’s views and the impact those views have had on trans people’s sense of safety and inclusion.
"My feminism is and has always been trans inclusive.”
In response, Dugdale issued a statement apologising for the distress caused by the interview and sought to clarify her position.
“I would never condone behaviour from anyone that seeks to or causes harm to anyone in our community,” she said. “I understand the interview I gave has caused worry, anger and upset and I am truly sorry about that. My feminism is and has always been trans inclusive.”
Stonewall said it had engaged with Dugdale following the controversy and remained confident in her commitment to the charity’s values. Ayla Holdom, Stonewall’s current Chair, voiced her support as she prepares to step down from the role.
“Our values drive who we are and as a trans woman I will be handing over the baton to Kezia confident in her steadfast commitment to trans and non-binary people and to working in partnership with other organisations to make progress for the whole LGBTQ+ community,” Holdom said.
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