Beira's Place

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] Rowling said the impetus to set up the centre was her fury on hearing that the trans CEO of the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, Mridul Wadhwa, had said that victims of sexual abuse must "reframe" their trauma if they disagreed with being treated by a trans woman.^[8][9] 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."^[10][5]

The organisation was named for Beira, the Scottish goddess of winter who represents "female wisdom, power, and regeneration".^[1][11]

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. 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."^[12]

In June 2023, Police Scotland announced 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.^[13]

The group's founding came shortly before a vote on the Gender Recognition Reform bill.^[14] Single-sex services in Scotland, and whether or not trans people should be included in them, are associated with the bill.^[14] Beira's Place is not a registered charity of Scotland.^[6] As such, it does not accept donations and is funded by Rowling.^[15] Alongside Rowling, the current board members of the organisation are Rhona Hotchkiss (a former prison governor), Johann Lamont, Susan Smith (director of For Women Scotland), and Margaret McCartney.^[15] All board members have been critical of the Scottish Government's proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act.^[16] The founding CEO of the organisation is Isabelle Kerr, formerly manager of Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis Centre, and its deputy CEO is Sue Domminney.^[9][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.^[17]