[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-centered and women-delivered care".
[8][9][10] 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.
[1][12] After the founding of Beira's Place, several public figures and organisations expressed their support for the service, while some criticized 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.
[16] 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.