JK Rowling has tweeted an image of a 'white, bearded, Stonewall-approved lesbian' following backlash she received from an earlier post, which described her 'inspirational friend' and LGBT activist, Allison Bailey.
The Harry Potter author took to the social media platform to respond to criticism after sharing an image of Ms Bailey marching for LGB rights through San Francisco in 1991 sparked fury amongst the trans community.
Criminal defence barrister Ms Bailey, 52, is currently in the process of suing the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall as well as her chamber Garden Court over claims she was 'silenced' over her views on transgender issues.
Tweeting the photo of Ms Bailey to mark Lesbian Visibility Week, which started in the UK on Monday, Rowling said: "Lesbian Visibility Week starts today in the UK. A good moment to salute the resilience and courage of my inspirational friend. #IStandWithAllisonBailey "
Founder of Lesbian Visibility Week, Linda Riley, however, then accused Ms Rowling, 56 of using the week as 'a vehicle to stir up more hate within our community', adding that she 'stands with Stonewall'.
Rowling subsequently responded by tweeting a picture of Alex Drummond, who she called a 'white, bearded, Stonewall-approved lesbian', after claiming she had 'stirred up hate' for posting pictures of 'black lesbians marching for their rights'.
"Apparently it stirs up hate to post pictures of black lesbians marching for their rights, so here's a picture of Alex Drummond, white, bearded, Stonewall-approved lesbian," she said in the tweet.
Ms Bailey, a lesbian, first alleged in October last year that she had been victimised for 'raising concerns about Stonewall's actions' with its Diversity Champions scheme and 'trans women are women' philosophy.
She is a founding figure in the charity and action group LGB Alliance, which has clashed with Stonewall in recent times over its views on gender.
The barrister says she has lost work and income over the row after claiming she was 'indirectly discriminated against' because the charity and her chambers 'hold gender critical beliefs as being bigoted and unworthy of respect'.
Garden Court Chambers, said they 'strongly refute' any claims they have acted unlawfully and will contest Ms Bailey's appeal to the Employment Tribunal service.
Stonewall, meanwhile, says its Diversity Champions programme aims to help firms 'become more inclusive of LGBT people'.
Ms Bailey was involved in a Twitter spat herself in May 2021 with transgender barrister Robin White, who acted for Stonewall in an unsuccessful bid by the charity and the chambers to have her claim struck out.
Ms Bailey previously tweeted support for a guide entitled 'Boys and Girls and the Equality Act', produced by Transgender Trend - an organisation that describes itself as 'calling for evidence-based care for gender dysphoric children'.
Ms White, meanwhile, described the guide as 'partisan, incomplete and misleading'.
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