{"id":139,"date":"2024-12-12T05:10:03","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T05:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/?p=139"},"modified":"2025-07-16T18:06:41","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T18:06:41","slug":"so-someone-told-you-supporting-harry-potter-is-anti-trans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/2024\/12\/12\/so-someone-told-you-supporting-harry-potter-is-anti-trans\/","title":{"rendered":"So someone told you supporting Harry Potter is anti-trans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>You\u2019re here because someone told you that supporting <em>Harry Potter<\/em> is anti-trans, and you either asked for more information or decided to argue about it. Maybe you never heard that before, or maybe you disagree because you don\u2019t buy licensed merchandise or you separate the art from the artist or your trans friend\/cousin\/neighbor\u2019s coworker\u2019s sister doesn\u2019t see the problem and loves <em>Harry Potter<\/em>, actually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a trans man who runs in nerd circles, I\u2019ve had this conversation\/argument\/discussion more times than I can count, so I decided to write it all out so I never have to waste my time and energy on it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s the&nbsp;issue?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>J.K. Rowling, the author of the <em>Harry Potter<\/em> book series, is one of the most prolific and prominent anti-trans activists alive today. She has made anti-trans blog entries, Twitter\/X posts, and podcast appearances. She\u2019s donated to anti-transgender organizations and causes, harassed both cis and trans women for not meeting her standards of female appearance, and publicly supported laws that strip trans adults and children of their freedoms. Her words have been cited on the floors of both the UK Parliament and the US Congress in support of passing such laws. Her words have been cited on the floors of both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.com\/culture\/books\/article\/mps-to-debate-gender-petition-backed-by-jk-rowling-qh0h0bctk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the UK Parliament<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/feature\/nbc-out\/gop-senator-quotes-j-k-rowling-while-blocking-vote-lgbtq-n1231569\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">US Congress<\/a> in support of passing such laws. She founded a <a href=\"https:\/\/jkrwf.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">legal fund<\/a> entirely out of her own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advocate.com\/news\/jk-rowling-anti-trans-organization\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">private <em>Harry Potter<\/em> generated fortune<\/a> to support cases \u201cprotecting women\u2019s sex-based spaces\u201d\u200a\u2014\u200ain other words, cases discriminating against trans women.\u00b3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately, I don\u2019t need to list all of her anti-trans statements and acts here, because others have already compiled them.\u00b9<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/culture\/23622610\/jk-rowling-transphobic-statements-timeline-history-controversy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Is J.K. Rowling transphobic? Let\u2019s let her speak for herself.<\/em><\/a> (Vox News)<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20241125154556\/https:\/\/www.vox.com\/culture\/23622610\/jk-rowling-transphobic-statements-timeline-history-controversy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u1d3e<\/a> \u201cAn exhausting\u200a\u2014\u200aif not exhaustive\u200a\u2014\u200atimeline of J.K. Rowling\u2019s transphobia\u201d dating from the publication of her 2014 novel <em>Silkworm<\/em> to her harassment of Imane Khelif in August 2024.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/theweek.com\/feature\/1020838\/jk-rowlings-transphobia-controversy-a-complete-timeline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>J.K. Rowling\u2019s transphobic comments: a timeline<\/em><\/a> (The Week)<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20241119020101\/https:\/\/theweek.com\/feature\/1020838\/jk-rowlings-transphobia-controversy-a-complete-timeline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u1d3e<\/a> \u201cA collection of the \u2018Harry Potter\u2019 author\u2019s anti-trans remarks\u201d from March 2018 to November 2024 at time of posting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Hopefully after looking through all that, you will accept the premise that Rowling is loudly, openly, and dangerously hostile to transgender people, no matter how many times she professes not to be. If not, well, I\u2019m not going to break down why each thing listed in the above articles is transphobic, because that\u2019s a whole other kind of education for which books\u00b2 have been written.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You cannot separate the art from the artist while the artist still&nbsp;profits.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As demonstrated in the section above, J.K. Rowling uses her wealth and notoriety to advocate against transgender rights. Buying licensed works contributes directly to her wealth through continued royalties, which she uses to donate to anti-trans causes and fund her own anti-trans work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But direct monetary gain, while significant, isn\u2019t the only benefit she enjoys from the franchise\u2019s continued popularity. As long as the <em>Harry Potter<\/em> IP remains a significant force in popular culture, her voice continues to carry weight. She continues to have a platform because her work\u2019s popularity gives her one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While fans continue making and consuming works celebrating her creation, whether officially licensed or not, the franchise maintains its popularity. As long as this continues, companies from Funko Pop to HBO will continue pumping out merchandise and media, brushing aside her transphobia as an ignorable inconvenience that clearly doesn\u2019t affect their bottom line, and Rowling will continue to profit with both money and fame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I will also note here that in addition to the author\u2019s transphobia, <em>Harry Potter<\/em> as a work is riddled with deeply-rooted sexism, racism, classism, antisemitism, and fatphobia. Breaking these down is not the purpose of this post, but I\u2019d be remiss if I didn\u2019t point out that the \u201cart\u201d itself is hardly free from criticism, once one looks beyond a surface-level, middle-school analysis of the major themes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Well my neighbor\u2019s cousin\u2019s trans best-friend doesn\u2019t have a problem with&nbsp;it.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI know a trans person who disagrees\u201d isn\u2019t an argument. Just because you know a trans person who doesn\u2019t have a problem with supporting the work of someone trying to strip us of our rights, that doesn\u2019t absolve you of thinking for yourself about the issue. There are as many trans opinions about trans issues as their are trans people in the world; some of them are bad. It\u2019s up to you to decide which ones to listen to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What about all the queer kids who found solace in Harry Potter\u2019s&nbsp;story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I truly do understand relating to a boy forced to live in a literal closet until a kind stranger taught him there was nothing wrong with him and he was worthy of love. I understand taking solace in a magical world where kids look out for each other and go on adventures to solve the big, frightening issues of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there are other books with those themes, and there are real kids in the real world who are being directly harmed by the words and actions of J.K. Rowling. The day I\u2019m writing this, the UK just <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/britain-puberty-blockers-banned-indefinitely-8993f4c3251aadd55521fa4ed987fc58\">outlawed puberty blockers<\/a> for trans kids nationwide\u200a\u2014\u200adue largely to the efforts of Rowling herself. In the US, also today, the House of Representatives just <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/military-pay-raise-transgender-care-defense-bill-53c929ef534d906f721426f41b23a53c\">passed a spending bill<\/a> to disallow the military\u2019s health care system from providing gender-affirming care to the children of service members\u200a. This will impact thousands of people\u200a\u2014\u200a\u200aI personally know two families this will impact directly. Revisiting this article just a couple months since I wrote it, the US Congress is now considering a spending bill that will disallow federal funding to be used for gender-affirming care for adults and prevent such care from being offered in Affordable Care Act insurance plans, forcing hospitals and insurance companies to choose between federal funding and support or providing trans healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not a theoretical or hypothetical moral dilemma. This is a current, real-world issue with direct, material impact on real people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In summary&#8230;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Transgender people are under attack at a legislative level. Thanks to anti-trans rhetoric, our rights to health care, to participate in sports, to equal employment, to even simply use the bathroom outside our homes are all in jeopardy. So if you could stop supporting, celebrating, and funding the work of one of the most vehement and effective transphobes on earth, we\u2019d greatly appreciate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Footnotes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00b9 Dates listed refer to the articles most recent updates at the time I referenced them for this post. Superscript Ps (\u1d3e) link to the most recent Web Archive of the articles at time of posting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00b2 I recommend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pinkmantaray.com\/he-she-they\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>He\/She\/They<\/em><\/a> by Schuyler Bailar and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Transgender_Issue\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Transgender Issue<\/em><\/a> by Shon Faye. Also just about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.juliaserano.com\/writings.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">anything<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@juliaserano\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Julia Serano<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00b3 This sentence added May 24, 2025. I wasn\u2019t planning to update this piece with any of JKR\u2019s new transphobic actions after the time of writing, but this was too egregious not to include.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bonus Star Trek&nbsp;meme<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"331\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/1fTq19pNl2AyD24A_qNOA0A.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshots of Major Kira and Kai Winn talking, speech bubbles added. Winn: \u201cMy child, we must simply separate the art from the artist.\u201d Kira: \u201cWith all due respect, Eminence, that is BS. When you\u2019re the one being attacked, you don\u2019t have that privilege. You can\u2019t just look at someone and\u2026 forget how much they hate you. Besides, an artist\u2019s worldview is baked into everything they make. When you support someone\u2019s work, that gives them a louder voice, more power.\u201d Winn: \u201cDon\u2019t be silly, child. Art benefits all of Bajor! It matters not where it came from.\u201d\" class=\"wp-image-141\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/1fTq19pNl2AyD24A_qNOA0A.jpg 331w, https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/1fTq19pNl2AyD24A_qNOA0A-99x300.jpg 99w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 331px) 100vw, 331px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>You can find free printables with summaries of this article and a QR link back here on my <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/ko-fi.com\/s\/b98606eb8c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Ko-Fi<\/em><\/a><em> and <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/shardsofblue.gumroad.com\/l\/jkr-anti-trans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Gumroad<\/em><\/a><em>. Feel free to distribute widely.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p><em>This article was simultaneously published on <a href=\"https:\/\/shardsofblue.medium.com\/so-someone-told-you-supporting-harry-potter-is-anti-trans-b215a52ca762\">Medium<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019re here because someone told you that supporting Harry Potter is anti-trans, and you either asked for more information or decided to argue about it. Maybe you never heard that before, or maybe you disagree because you don\u2019t buy licensed merchandise or you separate the art from the artist or your trans friend\/cousin\/neighbor\u2019s coworker\u2019s sister&hellip; <\/p>\n<div class=\"readmore-wrapper\"><a href=\"https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/2024\/12\/12\/so-someone-told-you-supporting-harry-potter-is-anti-trans\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":140,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[41,42,43,21,40,26],"class_list":["post-139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-queer-issues","tag-fandom","tag-harry-potter","tag-jk-rowling","tag-trans","tag-trans-rights","tag-transgender"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shardsofblue.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}