Irish actress Nicola Coughlan, known for her role in the Netflix series Bridgerton, has spoken out publicly against author JK Rowling following the UK Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the legal definition of “woman.”
The 38-year-old criticized Rowling’s public celebration of the proceeding last Friday (April 18) via an Instagram Story, hinting that she would not be watching the author’s forthcoming Harry Potter HBO television series.
“Keep your new Harry Potter lads,” Coughlan wrote. “Wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole.”
The ruling is the result of a years-long legal battle that began in 2018 and concluded by legally defining “women” by referring to biological s*x.
Actress Nicola Coughlan criticized JK Rowling and HBO after UK ruling legally defining women as linked to biological s*x
Image credits: Gilbert Flores/Getty Images
Rowling took to X to applaud the outcome last Wednesday (April 16). Crediting “three extraordinary, tenacious Scottish women with an army behind them” for their role in the legal challenge.
The author proceeded to post an image of two glasses of champagne with the caption, “Think I might be having a cigar later,” in celebration of the ruling.
Image credits: Neil Mockford/Getty Images
Coughlan, on the other hand, described herself as “completely horrified” by the Court’s decision, stating, “to see an already marginalized community be further attacked—and attacked in law—is really stomach-turning and disgusting.”
“And to see people celebrate it is more stomach-turning and disgusting,” she continued.
Image credits: Channel 4 News
As Bored Panda previously reported, Coughlan is not alone in connecting Rowling’s political views with HBO’s Harry Potter project. Upon announcing the first six cast members for the show last Monday (April 14), Rowling’s detractors flooded some of the actors’ social media with personal insults.
Nick Frost, who is set to succeed the late Robbie Coltrane in the role of Hagrid, was subjected to particularly intense backlash, with critics labeling him as a “coward,” “gross,” and “bigot,” for taking the job.
The ruling put an end to a years-long legal dispute surrounding the legal definition of “women” and “women-only” spaces
Image credits: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
The United Kingdom’s highest Court’s ruling put an end to a long discussion that began in 2018 when the Scottish Parliament introduced the Gender Representation on Public Boards Act.
I love it when a plan comes together.#SupremeCourt #WomensRights pic.twitter.com/agOkWmhPgb
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 16, 2025
The legislation was intended to improve gender balance by requiring that half of non-executive board members on public bodies be women.
Controversially, the act defined “woman” to include transgender women who possess a Gender Recognition Certificate.
Image credits: nicolacoughlan
Feminist advocacy group For Women Scotland (FWS) challenged the law, arguing that the definition conflicted with the UK’s Equality Act 2010, which protects against discrimination on the basis of characteristics like s*x, reassignment, and orientation.
FWS contended that the Scottish government had exceeded its authority by expanding the legal definition of “woman.”
Image credits: nicolacoughlan
After years of litigation, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act refer specifically to biological women and biological s*x.
The Court stressed that while transgender individuals are still protected from discrimination, these protections do not extend to spaces or policies designed for biological women, such as quotas, women-only shortlists, and domestic violence shelters, among others.
Coughlan urged people to donate to a charity that supports the transgender community
Image credits: nicolacoughlan
“F**k the Supreme Court,” the actress said on her Instagram, using her platform to urge people to donate to Not a Phase, a UK-based charity supporting members of the transgender community. Coughlan has allegedly donated $68,000 to the group.
“F**k the TERFs,” she continued.
Image credits: Channel 4 News
Rowling, on the other hand, has been both a vocal and financial supporter of FWS, reportedly contributing an estimated $92,000 to the group’s legal efforts.
The author has become a controversial figure in recent years due to expressing her views as a Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF), a branch of feminism that opposes gender ideology.
The branch believes in s*x being biological, immutable, and binary. As a result, they oppose the existence of concepts such as gender self-identification and transgenderism. TERFs take particular issue with what they see as biological men intruding in women-only spaces.
With celebrities and fans taking sides, it’s clear that the debate has gone beyond legal definitions, expanding into a broader discussion about societal consensus on concepts such as identity, s*x, and biological parameters.
“Ally.” Fans took to social media to congratulate the actress for her message
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