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Beira's Place

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Beira's Place
Formation2022; 4 years ago (2022)
FounderJ. K. Rowling
Legal statusCompany
PurposeSexual violence support
HeadquartersEdinburgh, Scotland
Lesley Johnston
Websitebeirasplace.org.uk

Beira's Place (/ˈbaɪrə/ BY-rə)[1] is a Scotland-based private support service for victims of sexual violence.[2] Founded in 2022 by J. K. Rowling, the organisation describes itself as a "women-only service", and does not hire or provide services to transgender women.[3]

History

[edit]

Beira's Place is a privately owned and operated domestic violence service that was formed to provide support to women aged 16 and over in Edinburgh and the Lothians who are survivors of sexual violence.[3][4][5]

The organisation was established in December 2022 by British author and philanthropist J. K. Rowling as its founder and financial backer, with the express goal of providing "women-centred and women-delivered care",[6][7] which Rowling described as an "unmet need".[8] The organisation was named for Beira, the Scottish goddess of winter who represents "female wisdom, power, and regeneration".[1][9]

Rowling said the impetus to set up the centre was her "fury" on hearing it claimed that victims of sexual abuse who requested female-only (exclusionary of trans women) care would be challenged on their prejudices, and told to "reframe" their trauma. The comments were made by the then head of the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, a trans woman.[10][11][12] In a statement provided by the organisation, Beira's Place wrote "we believe that women deserve to have certainty that, in using our services, they will not encounter anyone who is male. Where appropriate, we will refer men or individuals identifying as trans women to other appropriate services."[13][5]

After the founding of Beira's Place, several public figures and organisations expressed their support for the service, while some criticised its exclusion of transgender people; it has been described by LGBTQ+ outlets including The Advocate, PinkNews, and LGBTQ Nation as a trans-exclusionary service.[3][5] Rape Crisis Scotland publicly welcomed the establishment of "any new service" in light of existing services' underfunding and long waiting lists, while emphasizing the importance of serving trans and non-binary people and noting that rape crisis centres in Scotland had done so for years without incident.[6] UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women Reem Alsalem welcomed the new service, stating "the prevention and response to violence against women requires an all-society approach, so it is great to see different actors who have the means, including private individuals, play their part."[14]

Police Scotland announced in June 2023 that they would create a direct referral procedure for assault survivors to Beira's Place, similar to the existing referral process for Rape Crisis Scotland.[15]

Financial documents from the UK's Companies House revealed that Rowling had provided an interest-free loan of at least £1.9 million, secured against the organisation's Edinburgh property, to help establish and fund Beira's Place. Rowling was separately meeting the center's "substantial" running costs. As of November 2023, the center employed 10 staff.[16]

An independent review of the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre criticised that service for multiple failings, including failing to protect women only spaces. Following this report, Rape Crisis Scotland issued a statement in September 2024 that said they had paused referrals to the ERCC.[17] This left Beira's Place as the only available service for survivors of sexual abuse in the Lothians region.[18]

Structure

[edit]

The group's founding came shortly before a vote on the Gender Recognition Reform bill.[12] Single-sex services in Scotland, and whether or not trans people should be included in them, are associated with the bill.[12] Beira's Place is not a registered charity of Scotland.[6] As such, it does not accept donations and is funded by Rowling.[19] Alongside Rowling, the board members of the organisation are Rhona Hotchkiss (a former prison governor), Johann Lamont, Susan Smith (director of For Women Scotland), and Margaret McCartney.[19] All board members have been critical of the Scottish Government's proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act.[20] Isabelle Kerr, formerly manager of Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis Centre, served as the organisation's founding chief executive; Lesley Johnston, previously a national gender-based-violence trainer with experience across the NHS, universities, and local and national government, joined the organisation in December 2024 and became chief executive.[1][1] Interviewed on the anniversary of the service's opening, Kerr said that its phone service had helped almost 2,000 people seeking support, and over 250 survivors of violence had used its safe space.[21]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 "About Us". Beira's Place. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  2. ↑ "Beira's Place Home". Beira's Place. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Glass, JD (14 December 2022). "J.K. Rowling Funds Sex Abuse Crisis Center That Excludes Trans Women". The Advocate. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  4. ↑ Dagelty, Susan (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling opens new sexual violence support service for women in Edinburgh". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Wakefield, Lily (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling launches sex abuse support service that excludes trans women". PinkNews. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 Carrell, Severin (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling launches support centre for female victims of sexual violence". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  7. ↑ "J.K. Rowling Launches A Service To Help Victims Of Sexual Violence". www.barrons.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  8. ↑ "JK Rowling funds women-only rape help centre in Edinburgh". BBC News. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Turner, Janice (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling launches sex abuse centre for women only". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  10. ↑ Meighan, Craig (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling opens 'women-only' centre for sex abuse survivors in Scotland". The National. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  11. ↑ Sanderson, Daniel (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling says she's rich enough to take the flak as she launches women-only support service". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 Wade, Mike (13 December 2022). "Rape Crisis stands by trans survivors after JK Rowling opens single-sex centre". The Times. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  13. ↑ Sanderson, Ginny (13 December 2022). "JK Rowling opens Beira's Place, 'woman-only' sexual violence support service in Edinburgh". Edinburgh Evening News. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022 – via MSN.
  14. ↑ Horne, Marc. "Rape Crisis founder backs Rowling's trauma centre". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  15. ↑ Wright, Mary (9 February 2024). "Rape victims will be referred to Rowling's women-only centre". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  16. ↑ Sanderson, Daniel (11 September 2024). "JK Rowling invests £1.9m in 'women-only' service for sexual violence victims". Yahoo News. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "Our statement on the Edinburgh Rape Crisis National Service Standards Report". Rape Crisis Scotland. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "How sexual abuse survivors like me were harmed by rape crisis centre's trans ideology". The Scotsman. 14 September 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  19. 1 2 "JK Rowling funds women-only rape help centre". BBC News. 12 December 2022. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  20. ↑ McCool, Mary; Gordon, Lorna (20 May 2024). "Rape centre worker wins tribunal over gender-critical beliefs". Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  21. ↑ Scott, Marion (5 December 2023). "Beira's Place: Thousands helped by JK Rowling rape centre". The Sunday Post. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
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