JK Rowling Backs Aussie App Founder in Landmark Fight Over Woman-Only Spaces

Rowling says Western society is currently divided between truth and obedience.

Giggle for Girls founder Sall Grover is seen during a break at the Federal Court in Sydney, Australia, on April 11, 2024. AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has expressed support for Australian tech CEO Sall Grover, who is appealing a Federal Court ruling that found she indirectly discriminated against a trans woman by removing her from the female-only app, Giggle for Girls.

Grover was ordered to pay $50,000 in damages to Roxanne Tickle, along with an additional $10,000 after she laughed in court at a cartoon depicting Tickle.

The court also stated that sex was changeable—a key point now under appeal.

Grover’s legal team is arguing that her removal of Tickle was lawful under the Sex Discrimination Act, which allows for “special measures” aimed at promoting equality, including the operation of women-only spaces and services.

“The ... ruling of Justice Bromwich in the Federal Court of Australia … misinterprets the fundamental rights of women and girls, and the principles of single-sex spaces essential for their safety and dignity,” Grover said earlier this year.

The appeal is being heard by Judges Melissa Perry, Geoffrey Kennett, and Wendy Abraham over four days in the Federal Court.

JK Rowling Enters the Debate

British writer JK Rowling poses on the red carpet after arriving to attend the World Premiere of the film "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" in London on March 29, 2022. Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images

British author J.K. Rowling weighed in on social media, voicing her backing for Grover and criticising the original ruling.

“Western society is currently divided between people who know this is a man and are prepared to say so and those who know this is a man but lie out of obedience to an ideology,” Rowling wrote on X.

“There is no third option. Nobody on earth thinks Roxanne Tickle is a woman.

“Good luck, Sall. May the best woman (haha) win x”.

Grover responded with three heart emojis in reply.

Rowling has previously attracted international controversy for her views on sex and gender identity, which she has consistently argued are rooted in biological fact.

The Background

Grover founded the Giggle for Girls as a female-only social app designed to connect girls and women in online communities.

She has said that she intended the space to remain single-sex and that the platform was targeted after she publicly opposed allowing trans women into the historic McIver Ladies Baths in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

Shortly after, Grover noticed Roxanne Tickle had joined the app and, believing that Tickle appeared male, removed her access to the app, which led to Tickle launching legal action.

Roxanne Tickle (left) at the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney, Australia on April 9, 2024. AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi

Key Argument

The appeal before the Federal Court is set to hinge on whether discrimination against Tickle was lawful or not.

Grover’s legal team will argue that there was no unlawful discrimination against Tickle, and that it is lawful to run a female-only app according to the “special measures” under Section 7D of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984.

That particular section makes provisions for exclusionary groupings if aimed at equality, such as dividing men and women for a specific purpose.