English writer Joanna Rowling, better known by her pen-name J. K. Rowling, was BOTD in 1965. Born in Yate, Bristol, she studied at the University of Exeter, and became a languages teacher. After a brief marriage and the birth of her daughter, she settled in Edinburgh, living on public assistance while writing a fantasy series about a boy wizard attending a school called Hogwarts. The resulting novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was published in 1997, becoming an overnight international success. Six further novels followed, published between 1998 and 2007, selling over 500 million copies in 70 languages. The books spawned a highly successful film franchise, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, followed by the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, winning multiple Olivier and Tony Awards. Beloved by children and adults alike, Harry Potter also developed a devoted fanbase among queer and non-binary young people. Rowling published her first adult fiction novel The Casual Vacancy in 2012, followed by a crime series published under the name Robert Galbraith. Now the world’s highest-paid author, Rowling has an estimated fortune of £820 million. In 2019, she made a series of comments on social media, arguing that trans-inclusionary language was eroding “woman” as a political and biological class. She also criticised proposed changes to UK gender recognition laws, which she claimed would give male rapists access to molest women and children – a theme explored in her 2020 crime novel Troubled Blood. Rowling’s comments raised widespread criticism: accused of being transphobic and publicly condemned by Radcliffe and other Harry Potter stars, she was also defended on feminist grounds and declared herself a victim of “cancel culture”. In 2025, Rowling funded a series of court cases in the UK to challenge the legal definition of “women” and “sex” in the Equality Act. The resulting case went to the UK Supreme Court, who concluded that the Act’s legal protections only applied to women who were biologically female, and excluded trans women. Hailed by Rowling and her supporters as a victory for women’s rights, the decision sent shockwaves through the UK’s trans community, leading to widespread confusion about trans women’s right to access single-sex toilets, refuge spaces and hospital wards. Rowling is married to Neil Murray, with whom she has two further children.