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‘The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht’: 2024 anti-trans book

On May 30, 2024, a group of Scottish anti-transgender activists published a collection of essays titled The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht: Voices from the front-line of Scotland’s battle for women’s rights.

It is edited by Susan Dalgety and Lucy Hunter Blackburn. The title was inspired by the anti-trans social media hashtag #WomenWontWheesht. Wheesht is a Scottish word meaning “be quiet.”

note: for the organization with a similar name, see Women Won’t Wheesht.

Contents

  • Title Page, Copyright, Dedication, Introduction
  • Anonymous (@Dis_Critic) Foreword: A hashtag is born [originator of #WomenWontWheesht]

Section 1: Setting the scene

Section 2: Early skirmishes: women learn the cost of speaking out

  • Susan Smith: Chapter 6: Courage calls – a case study
  • Ann Henderson: Chapter 7: No quarter given
  • Joan McAlpine: Chapter 8: Finding out women don’t count
  • Sally Wainwright: Chapter 9: Audacious women disrupted
  • Jenny Lindsay: Chapter 10: A hounding in Scottish literature
  • Claire L. Heuchan: Chapter 11: A meeting that changes everything

Section 3: The battle intensifies: women refuse to be silenced

  • Rhona Hotchkiss: Chapter 12: Standing up and speaking out
  • J.K. Rowling: Chapter 13: Wheesht for the witch burners
  • Gillian Philip: Chapter 14: Sacked for a hashtag
  • For Women Scotland: Chapter 15: The battle moves to the court room
  • Johann Lamont: Chapter 16: Six words and a lifetime of lessons learned
  • Joanna Cherry KC MP: Chapter 17: Frozen out
  • Shereen Benjamin: Chapter 18: The right to examine ideas
  • Fiona McAnena: Chapter 19: Women still don’t count

Section 4: The parliamentary battle over self-ID: Holyrood under the spotlight

  • Pam Gosal MBE MSP and Rachael Hamilton MSP: Chapter 20: Women’s voices in the Parliament
  • “Anonymous” and “Ms M”: Chapter 21: The women the committee would not see
  • Lorna Irvine: Chapter 22: Watching the Parliament
  • Ash Regan MSP: Chapter 23: A minister resigns
  • Anonymous (@Obsolescence): Chapter 24: A very seditious scarf
  • Lucy Hunter Blackburn: Chapter 25: A hard day’s night: the bill is passed
  • Elaine Miller: Chapter 26: That merkin moment

Section 5: Reflections

  • Caroline McAllister: Chapter 27: The unthinkable happens
  • Susan Dalgety: Chapter 28: The human cost
  • Mandy Rhodes (interviewed by Susan Dalgety): Chapter 29: Asking questions
  • Kathleen Stock: Chapter 30: Watching Scotland
  • Iseult White: Chapter 31: Sisters across the water
  • Magi Gibson: Chapter 32: A poet finds her voice again
  • Nina Welsch: Chapter 33: Finding my sisterhood
  • Nicole Jones: Chapter 34: Looking to the future
  • Susan Dalgety and Lucy Hunter Blackburn: Afterword: This isn’t over
  • Picture Section
  • A timeline of key events
  • Acknowledgements, Contributors, Resources, Glossary

References

Brawn, Steph (December 3, 2025). Anti-trans activists ‘harassing’ National Library of Scotland visitors. The National https://www.thenational.scot/news/25669619.gender-critical-book-makes-national-library-scotland-less-safe/

Horne, Marc (December 2, 2025). Open letter: Gender-critical book ‘makes national library less safe.’ The Times https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/gender-critical-book-makes-national-library-less-safe-v3lz26lr8

Signatories (November 2025). Open letter: Statement in Support of National Library of Scotland Staff. Google document preserved via Tattle Life https://tattle.life/threads/gender-discussion-100.51280/page-46

Chalmers, Ross (August 14, 2025). National Library of Scotland accused of “capitulation to censorship” after pulling gender-critical book from display. Deadline News https://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2025/08/14/national-library-of-scotland-accused-of-capitulation-to-censorship-after-pulling-gender-critical-book-from-display/

Bradley, Jane (August 13, 2025). Book of gender critical essays pulled from National Library display after staff complaints. The Scotsman https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/book-of-gender-critical-essays-pulled-from-national-library-display-after-staff-complaints-5269074

Clark, Gemma (June 24, 2024). The War on Trans People and Colluding with the Politics of the Right. Bella Caledonia https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2024/06/24/the-war-on-trans-people-and-colluding-with-the-politics-of-the-right/

Perry, Sophie (June 4, 2024). India Willoughby slams Waterstones for promoting ‘gender-critical’ book. PinkNews https://www.thepinknews.com/2024/06/04/india-willoughby-waterstones-jk-rowling-trans-book/

Anti-trans coverage

Barker, Dan (November 25, 2025). Trans activists trying to ban feminist book for a SECOND time by claiming its return makes national library ‘unsafe and hostile’ for staff. Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15326075/Trans-activists-try-ban-feminist-book-SECOND-time-national-library-hostile-staff.html

Staff report (October 16, 2025). ‘Inadequate evidence’ for National Library gender critical book ban. BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq83vvw83y8o

Staff report (September 4, 2025). National library of Scotland in U-turn over gender-critical book. BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp98reznmddo

Sanderson, Daniel (September 4, 2025). Scotland’s National Library reinstates banned gender critical book. The Times https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/national-library-to-reinstate-banned-gender-critical-book-wxjjvs3ck

Learmonth, Andrew (August 13, 2025). National Library accused of ‘cowardice’ over exclusion of gender-critical book. The Herald https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25386954.nls-removes-gender-critical-book-centenary-exhibition/

Steinfeld, Jemimah (August 19, 2025). The National Library of Scotland: When curation becomes censorship. Index on Censorship https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2025/08/the-national-library-of-scotland-when-curation-becomes-censorship/

Rowling, J. K.; Dalgety, Susan; Hotchkiss, Rhona (June 26, 2024). JK Rowling: Why I decided to stand up for women. The Times https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/jk-rowling-stand-up-women-trans-book-r6jlglpvq

Dalgety, Susan; Hunter Blackburn, Lucy (June 15, 2024). We won’t wheesht over gender and now our book is making history. The Times https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/we-wont-wheesht-over-gender-and-now-our-book-is-making-history-60mx9tq8d

Roberts, Gareth (June 9, 2024). Book Review: The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht. The Age of Stupid https://theageofstupid.substack.com/p/book-review-the-women-who-wouldnt

Ditum, Sarah (June 9, 2024). How JK Rowling and a feminist fightback turned the tide on trans activism. The Times https://web.archive.org/web/20240609151324/https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/the-women-who-wouldnt-wheesht-review-susan-dalgety-lucy-hunter-blackburn-wvrd6q50c

McInally, John (June 7, 2024). Gender ideology exposed. Morning Star https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/gender-ideology-exposed

Staff report (May 29, 2024). Trans rights are ‘greatest assault of my lifetime’ on women’s rights, says JK Rowling. The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/05/29/jk-rowling-transgender-assault-womens-rights-book-essay/

Ferguson, Brian (May 16, 2024). JK Rowling writes essay on ‘standing up for women’ for new book on campaign to protect rights. The Scotsman https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/jk-rowling-writes-essay-on-standing-up-for-women-for-new-book-on-campaign-to-protect-rights-4629745

Book

Dalgety, Susan; Blackburn, Lucy Hunter [editors]. The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht: Voices from the front-line of Scotland’s battle for women’s rights. Constable, ISBN 978-1408720707

Media

BBC Sounds / Scotcast with Martin Geissler, Natalie Higgins and Lucy Hunter Blackburn (October 21, 2025). The librarian, a book ‘ban’ and the gender debate. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002l27h

Resources

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)