An Open Letter to Lovers of Harry Potter
After JK Rowling revealed her true nature as a transphobe back in December 2019, I tried to convince myself that I could separate the art from the artist – that if I just read and wrote queer and trans-affirming HP fanfiction, that it would be OK. I could still appreciate the books that helped shape my childhood. I used to think of her as a role model.
But JKR has continued to escalate in her violence towards the trans community. Towards my family. Rather than writing a series on HP, she's now written a transphobic series. Between 2019 to the present day, she continually tweets increasingly transphobic things. Yesterday (November 4), she equated trans people to rapists.
All of the things that she says are direct representations of TERF ideology that is anti-feminist and anti-trans. She has done lasting damage to trans and nonbinary people like myself who had seen ourselves belonging in Hogwarts. She is advocating for interpersonal and systemic violence against trans women, nonbinary folks, trans men, and the whole diverse trans community. She is abusing her platform to commit violence against the trans community.
You can't separate the art from the artist. Don't kid yourselves. You cannot claim to be a trans ally while still supporting JKR or the Harry Potter series. Do not continue to give her a platform. Do not financially support her. If you do, you are complicit in enacting a genocide against the trans community.
You may already have the books/movies, and be wondering what to do with them. There are some people who burn these – personally, I don’t recommend that as it doesn’t really do anything (she’s already got your money). Instead, see if you can offset that somehow. For example, I donated all of my old books and movies to my church’s yard sale a couple years ago, with the stipulation that the money made from the sales of the books/movies would be donated to the local transgender organization (which they happily agreed to). That way, I prevented someone else from giving her money, helped the environment (reduce, reuse), and ensured that money would go directly to those affected by her harmful actions.
Again, cis allies – do not stay silent. Silence is complicity.
For my trans siblings – believe me when I say that I understand the conflict many of you are likely experiencing. You need to do what’s right for you, and know that you are valid. I hope you can find peace and a community during this challenging time.
By the way, if you’re looking to start/grow your library with inclusive and diverse concepts, I’ve made a list of my top ten book recommendations (both fiction and non-fiction) by queer and trans authors, or those that feature queer and trans characters. If you want to expand this beyond just my top ten, check out my full recommended Queer Library. Enjoy!
Queer/Trans Fiction Book Recommendations
Rainbow Islands (Devin Harnois)
The Prom (Saundra Mitchell)
Two Dark Moons (Avi Silver)
Loveless (Alice Oseman)
Hell Followed With Us (Andrew Joseph White)
Pet (Akwaeke Emezi)
Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything (Justine Pucella Winana)
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Becky Albertalli)
Asexual Fairy Tales (Elisabeth Hopkinson)
The Bruising of Qilwa (Naseem Jamina)
Queer/Trans Non-Fiction Book Recommendations
Beyond the Gender Binary (Alok Vaid-Menon)
I’m Afraid of Men (Vivek Shraya)
The New Queer Conscience (Adam Eli)
A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities (Mady G & J.R. Zuckerberg)
Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society & the Meaning of Sex (Angela Davis)
The Gay Agenda: A Modern Queer History Handbook (Ashley Molesso)
The Little Book of Pride (Lewis Laney)
I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl's Notes From the End of the World (Kai Cheng Thom)
Gender Euphoria (Juno Dawson)
This Book is Gay (Juno Dawson)
