Stop Spending Your Money on ‘Harry Potter’

in Harry Potter, Op-Ed

Daniel Radcliffe looking happy and astonished as Harry Potter

Credit: Warner Bros.

It’s time to talk about Harry Potter.

On Sunday, JK Rowling shamelessly donated £70,000 to For Women Scotland, blatantly supporting a legal battle that would setback transgender women’s rights in Scotland by 20 years. The so-called “feminist” group is challenging a 2004 decision that granted transgender women the right to legally change their gender on government documents, claiming AMAB (assigned male at birth) people shouldn’t be allowed in women-only spaces, even those who’ve transitioned.

In 2020, Rowling claimed she only joined the “gender critical” movement to protect women and girls from male violence. As a sexual assault victim, she felt passionate about women’s safety. She even claimed she would “march” with any trans person discriminated against based on their gender. It only took four years for her to descend down the TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) rabbit hole. Now, she’s financing transgender and non-binary people’s oppression instead of fighting against it.

JK Rowling visits the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Japan
Credit: Universal Studios Japan

Rowling’s journey from “accidentally” liking a few transphobic tweets in 2018 to spending thousands on the legal persecution of transgender women disappointed thousands of Harry Potter fans. There couldn’t be a more apt metaphor for the LGBTQIA+ struggle than Harry literally coming out of the closet and moving to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the first place he felt accepted.

The transphobia goes beyond posts on X (formerly known as Twitter)–Rowling’s hateful beliefs have seeped into her creative ventures. Under her pen name, Robert Galbraith, she published a book about a transgender woman murdering a cartoonist for being transphobic. In the controversial 2023 video game Hogwarts Legacy, a trans woman character was named “Sirona.” Sir. Ona.

Hogwarts Legacy Harry Potter game Sirona Ryans at the Three Broomsticks
Credit: Warner Bros.

Before you argue that fans online are the only ones complaining, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermoine Granger), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), and more all disavowed Rowling’s transphobic views. Radcliffe even celebrated Trans Day of Visibility by fundraising for The Trevor Project, a non-profit supporting LGBTQIA+ youth in crisis.

All of this is but the tip of the iceberg for Rowling. In the decades since the publication of the original Harry Potter series, many minorities have called out the offensive stereotypes spread throughout the books. Most notoriously, there’s an Asian character named “Cho Chang.”

There’s also the Goblins, hooked-nose creatures that run Gringotts Bank and control finances in the Wizarding World. Anti-semitic caricatures often liken Jewish people to Goblins that run society. Once you know that, it’s impossible to look at the Harry Potter books the same way.

A goblin in Harry Potter
Credit: Warner Bros

I’m writing things that most people on the internet already know. And while many Potterheads don’t care about Rowling’s behavior, there are just as many who simply aren’t aware. This is for them.

It’s okay to have nostalgia for a series that meant so much to you in your youth. I still have a Harry Potter shelf tucked away in my apartment. There’s nothing wrong with cracking open your childhood book set for a cozy day in or pulling out some old Blu-Rays for an eight-movie marathon. But your transgender and non-binary loved ones need that to be as far as it goes.

Canceling Harry Potter breaks my community’s hearts, but further endangering an at-risk group overrules any of my emotions. Protecting transgender and non-binary people means no more streaming or renting Harry Potter or Fantastic Beasts films. No buying merch or new books unless they’re from a secondhand store.

Newt Scamander looking for the Niffler in 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'
Credit: Warner Bros.

Grab discounted Broadway tickets instead of seeing “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” on your next New York City trip, and avoid the Warner Brothers Studio Tour outside of London. There are far better things to see in the U.K. anyway.

It goes beyond literally giving Rowling money, too. Don’t repost a trailer for Hogwarts Legacy or the next LEGO Harry Potter game (and certainly don’t buy them). Don’t wear your Gryffindor scarf or your Slytherin robes. If you can avoid it, don’t visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Orlando Resort. Don’t turn yourself into a walking advertisement.

Gone are the days when financially supporting Rowling didn’t endorse her transphobic views. Sure, before, I’d have side-eyed vocal Harry Potter devotees, but liking a franchise isn’t the same as being a bigot. Now that she’s donated thousands to directly harming trans people, it’s unconscionable. Giving Rowling money is the same as donating to transphobic lobbying groups–you’ve just added some steps along the way.

Are you a current or former Harry Potter fan? In the comments, share your thoughts on the recent behavior of JK Rowling with Inside the Magic.

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