PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
J.K. Rowling calls for own arrest over trans rhetoric
J.K. Rowling is calling for her own arrest in protest of Scotland’s new hate crime law as she continues to share anti-trans rhetoric on social media.
The “Harry Potter” author made the comments on Monday, the day that the crime of “stirring up hatred” relating to age, disability, religion, sexual orientation and transgender identity went into effect.
Rowling tested the law by listing 10 trans women, including a convicted rapist, sex abusers and high-profile activists on X, saying they were men.
“In passing the Scottish Hate Crime Act, Scottish lawmakers seem to have placed higher value on the feelings of men performing their idea of femaleness, however misogynistically or opportunistically, than on the rights and freedoms of actual women and girls,” she wrote in a lengthy thread.
Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf said the bill was about “protecting people from a rising tide of hatred.”
“Unless your behavior is threatening or abusive and intends to stir up hatred, then you have nothing to worry about in terms of the new (offenses) being created,” he said in a statement.
Beyoncé thanks Stevie Wonder at iHeartRadio Music Awards
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter spoke about the challenges of innovating and revealed another legendary “Cowboy Carter” collaborator during her acceptance speech for the iHeartRadio Innovator Award on Monday.
Stevie Wonder presented Beyoncé with the award, one of the night’s top honors. Beyoncé thanked him for “making a way” for others and for playing harmonica on her recording of “Jolene.”
“Whenever anyone asks me if there’s anyone I could listen to for the rest of my life, it’s always you,” she said about Wonder.
He commended her for changing the way music was released with the surprise drop of her self-titled album in 2013 and for making history as the first African American woman to headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California.
Wonder praised “Cowboy Carter,” saying it “may end up being the most talked about album this century.”
Stuhlbarg performs on Broadway a day after being hit by rock
“Boardwalk Empire” star Michael Stuhlbarg performed on Broadway as planned on Monday, a day after he was allegedly the victim of an assault in New York City.
On Sunday, police responded to an assault in progress after a 55-year-old man “was struck in the head by an unknown object” while walking, the New York City Police Department confirmed Tuesday. Reports from CNN and The New York Times identified the victim as Stuhlbarg.
Police said a preliminary investigation determined that Xavier Israel, 27, threw a rock that struck Stuhlbarg in the back of the neck and caused an abrasion. Israel has been charged with assault.
The incident occurred before Stuhlbarg was set to perform in the Broadway show “Patriots,” which was written by “The Crown” creator Peter Morgan. Stuhlbarg stars as Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky.