JK Rowling has divided opinion on Twitter after she spoke out in support of a woman sacked for tweeting that transgender people cannot change their biological sex.

Maya Forstater lost her job as a tax expert at the Centre for Global Development – an international think tank that campaigns against poverty and inequality – in March.

She was accused of publishing “offensive” tweets questioning government proposals to allow people to self-identify their own gender.

Ms Forstater took her case to an employment tribunal on the grounds that her dismissal constituted discrimination against her beliefs.

But on Wednesday, Judge James Tayler dismissed her claim, saying her views are “absolutist in her view of sex”.

In a 26-page document, he said her opinions did “not have the protected characteristic of philosophical belief”.

He concluded she was not entitled to ignore the legal rights of a transgender person and the “enormous pain that can be caused by misgendering a person”.

Ms Forstater has said she was “struggling to express the shock and disbelief I feel at reading this judgment, which I think will be shared by the vast majority of people who are familiar with my case”.

Responding to the ruling, the Harry Potter author tweeted: “Dress however you please. Call yourself whatever you like. Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you.

“Live your best life in peace and security. But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real?”

She also added the hashtags #IStandWithMaya and #ThisIsNotADrill.

Rowling soon began trending, with some users claiming she was a “transphobe”, and the phrase “JK Rowling is a Terf” – referring to the term, trans-exclusionary radical feminist – also trended on the social media platform.

A Terf is often used to describe feminists who express ideas that other feminists consider to be transphobic, including the belief that trans women are not women.

LGBT advocacy group, the Human Rights Campaign, responded to Rowling on Twitter, posting: “Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Non-binary people are non-binary. CC: JK Rowling”.

Celebrities have also weighed into the debate, with Grey’s Anatomy actress Sara Ramirez saying she “wholeheartedly” disagreed with Rowling.

She said: “I stand with intersectional feminist humans, who recognise that trans women are real women, and against bigots like yourself.

“Bigotry masquerading as feminism is anything but. Your internalised distortions are helping me to continue dismantling mine. Thanks!”.

But others welcomed the writer’s comments and joined her in using the hashtag #IStandWithMaya.

Lewis star Laurence Fox wrote: “You can’t change your biological sex. Sorry, not sorry. Having said that, identify however the f*** you like.

“I’ve been known to sport the odd dress on occasion. I have lovely ankles, you see”.

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The dispute was seen as a test case on whether a “gender critical” view – a belief that there are only two biological sexes – is a protected “philosophical belief” under the 2010 Equality Act.

Ms Forstater had argued that “framing the question of transgender inclusion as an argument that male people should be allowed into women’s spaces discounts women’s rights to privacy and is fundamentally illiberal (it is like forcing Jewish people to eat pork)”.

Representatives for Rowling have been contacted for comment.

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