Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan has recently slammed J.K.Rowling and the new "Harry Potter" television series following the author's public celebration of a recent UK Supreme Court ruling that restricts legal recognition of trans women.

The court's decision, handed down last week, determined that the terms "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act 2010 refer solely to biological sex, thereby excluding transgender women from certain legal protections. Rowling later celebrated the decision with a post on X (formerly Twitter) of her holding a cigar and drink.

"I love it when a plan comes together," she wrote in the caption.

Coughlan, known for her outspoken support of the LGBTQ+ community, responded swiftly to Rowling's "victory lap." On her Instagram Stories, she posted a headline from The Cut with the headline "This Is a New Low for J.K. Rowling."

"Keep your new Harry Potter lads. Wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole," Coughlan said.

It is not the first time Rowling's public views on transgender issues have been a source of major controversy. In 2019, she expressed support for Maya Forstater, a British researcher who lost her job for expressing gender-critical views.

In June 2020, the "Harry Potter" author retweeted a lengthly essay that discussed "people who menstruate," but took issue with the fact that the op-ed did not use the term "women." She later published her own post about "TERF Wars," which refers to trans-exclusionary radical feminist.

The original stars of the Harry Potter films—Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint—have all publicly distanced themselves from Rowling's views and voiced strong support for the transgender community. The film's star, Daniel Radcliffe, was the first from the franchise to speak out, noting that "transgender women are women."

Emma Watsons, who played Hermione Granger, also spoke out in support of the trans community.

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Nicola coughlan, JK Rowling