JK Rowling 'practically daring police' to arrest her after new hate crime law
'Outnumbered' panelists discuss Scotland's controversial new law on hate crimes, which critics warn will have a 'chilling effect' on free speech.
A Baylor University professor held a "hard and necessary" conversation with his students about "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling and her alleged "hatred of trans people," according to an X post from last Tuesday.
Dr. Greg Garrett, who teaches a number of literature and culture-oriented courses at the university, wrote in the post that the discussion happened during his "Harry Potter" class.
"We decided novelist Rowling, who wrote with compassion about diversity, equity, and inclusion, is worth our attention. Twitter Rowling? Shame on her," he continued in part.
The discussion followed Rowling publicly challenging Scotland's hate speech law that went into effect on April 1, though she has repeatedly been outspoken on women's rights and transgender issues in the past.
The Baylor University campus in Waco, Texas on December 8, 2022. (Photo by ANDY JACOBSOHN/AFP via Getty Images)
The bill targets those who commit acts that "stir up hatred" against protected groups, including transgender individuals. As a resident of Scotland, Rowling's rhetoric entered the spotlight as a possible example of an offense, but Scottish police declined to prosecute her.
Rowling, in the midst of the controversy, stood firm and dared the police to arrest her for speaking out and issued a dire warning about the state of free speech in Scotland.
The comments on Garrett's tweet were riddled with responses from those in Rowling's corner, including one comment from Martina Navratilova, a Czech-American former tennis player who has outspokenly advocated to protect single-sex spaces and women's sports.
"Shame on JK Rowling for protecting women’s sex based spaces and keeping them female only? Then shame on a whole lot of us… but thank you so much for caring…" she wrote.
"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling has come under fire from activists who accuse her of being transphobic for her remarks on X. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Deeper into the comments, others questioned the course's rigor.
One wrote, "'Today in my Harry Potter class at Baylor' Thanks for letting us know that what follows is an unserious opinion."
Another asked, "Was there a further discussion about whether Harry Potter met a threshold of rigor appropriate for college students?" and a third followed with, "Why a Harry Potter class in a university English course, is my question. Not enough plays by Shakespeare or August Wilson?"
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Garrett replied to one with a comment about academic freedom, calling the course one of the most "transformational" classes he teaches.
One outraged Baylor alum commented saying, "Get this professor away from my university," before quoting Genesis 1:27. "So he created them; MALE and FEMALE he created them' If we have professors who are unable to submit to a biological reality confirmed in the Bible our university is lost. What a shame," he continued.
Garrett replied with, "I’ve given 34 years of my life to ‘your’ university, loved my students, and loved Jesus. You clearly have strong opinions, and I always allow my students to share theirs. That’s what education means."
Others collectively questioned why such rhetoric was being taught on a Christian university's campus, while others simply defended Rowling by saying they believed she doesn't "hate" anyone.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Baylor University for comment but has yet to receive a response.
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