JK Rowling Reacts to Alarming Rise in Assaults in Mixed-Sex Changing Rooms

Creator of Harry Potter, JK Rowling, has expressed concern over recent findings indicating that more women and girls in the UK are experiencing rape and sexual assault in mixed-sex changing facilities.

A study highlighted by the Telegraph reveals that in 2023, there were at least 16 reported rapes, 80 sexual assaults, and 65 voyeurism incidents occurring in sports centers, averaging about three crimes per week.

Rowling cited these statistics as evidence that women who advocate for women-only spaces are legitimate in their concerns. She commented on X, stating, “Maybe, just maybe, girls and women asking for women-only spaces aren’t the scary, hysterical, bigots some claim.”

The report, commissioned by the Women’s Rights Network (WRN), notes that many of these assaults have taken place in mixed-gender environments, which are described as “sex offender magnets.”

Critics argue that leisure centers are failing to adhere to a UK Supreme Court ruling that mandates women’s changing areas should remain exclusively for women, instead opting for mixed-gender accommodations to align with progressive agendas.

Sharon Davis, a former Olympic swimmer, is urging for the elimination of mixed changing rooms to ensure the safety of female swimmers. She stated, “Every day, horrifying crimes such as rape and sexual assault happen in pool changing rooms, where women are particularly at risk.” Davis further noted that a significant portion of leisure centers lack separate facilities for female swimmers, as many local councils are following Sport England’s direction to create mixed changing areas.

The report’s authors highlighted concern over how frequently new pools default to a mixed-gender design, which they argue does not consider the feelings of most women regarding gender-neutral changing areas. They also pointed out that this approach neglects necessary risk protection for vulnerable women and girls while they are undressed.