The article focuses on three women – Ms. Calder, Ms. Smith, and Ms. Budge – who formed For Women Scotland in 2018. They successfully challenged gender recognition reforms in the UK Supreme Court.
Their primary concern was the ability for men to self-identify as women under the proposed reforms, believing this could negatively impact women's rights.
J.K. Rowling donated ÂŁ70,000 to support their legal challenge. The women emphasized their determination, stating that opposition only strengthened their resolve.
The three women initially connected through Mumsnet, a parenting website, united by shared concerns regarding gender recognition reform.
But speaking to The Telegraph, Ms Calder disputed the idea that the trio were “extraordinary”, as they were just “ordinary women”.
However, she did admit they were more determined than many of their opponents may have given them credit for. “If you anger us enough, then we will just keep going,” she said.
Ms Rowling, who would later post a picture of herself celebrating with a cigar, is a vocal supporter of sex-based rights and donated ÂŁ70,000 to the crowd fund for the legal challenge by For Women Scotland.
“We’re so grateful for her support over the years. She has done the most to actually raise women’s rights across the wider world,” Ms Calder said.
She explained that she formed For Women Scotland in her living room in 2018, along with Ms Smith, 54, an Oxford-educated former fund manager from Edinburgh, and Ms Budge, a 53-year-old farmer’s wife.
The trio met on Mumsnet and bonded over their mutual concerns about how gender recognition reforms – in particular, the ability for any man to self-identify as a woman – could affect women.
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