The Harry Potter books are classic. Love them or hate them, or even feel indifferent towards them, that will remain true for years to come. Like The Lord of the Rings before it, it has inspired leagues of fans and created an immersive world that Universal Studios made even bigger with the release of eight movies that make up an immensely popular film franchise.
Like so many others, I fell in love with Harry Potter when I was seven years old. The worldbuilding, the characters, and the magic of it all were inescapable. I consider it a huge part of my childhood and development, and one of the initial steps towards becoming a writer myself.
There’s just one huge problem. The creator of this legendary series, the crafter of this tale that so many people hold dear, is the center of one of the most heartbreaking letdowns in recent years. J.K. Rowling, a former idol, infamously and publicly announced her anti-trans political leanings in 2019 with the public backing of Maya Forstater. Forstater was a researcher who lost her job as a result of transphobic comments online involving British politics and the right of trans women to identify as women on passports and political documents. This support led to a massive public downfall for Rowling, including the original actors from the film series, most notably Daniel Radcliffe.
Rowling published an essay on her website in June 2020 in defense of her stance. Upon reading it myself, I was almost shocked at the level of hate that comes through her eloquent prose. The content was so disparaging that queer writers have written articles that safely maneuver the essay for those who want to stay informed, because it’s so difficult to get through. Back in 2020, her words touched something within me, something soft and vulnerable that hadn’t quite yet reached the surface. The unrecognized trans identity within me withered in the face of her comments, in the wake of her opinions about my community and myself.
Many queer fans and allies have taken to boycotting all Harry Potter content that could lead back to Rowling, a refusal to fund an individual who fuels this rhetoric, both verbally and politically. Grief turned into rage, which turned into disgust, and even I thought I was over it, until the announcement of the Harry Potter HBO TV reboot first came to light in April 2023.
For fans who felt the movies were not faithful enough to the original text, this news has been met with enthusiasm. While others found it immediately ruined upon the discovery of JK Rowling’s immense involvement in the production of the show and use of profits to promote anti-trans legislation through the founding of her own company, the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund. This means the money collected from the show is going directly to an anti-trans fundraiser she created, masquerading under the name of “women’s rights.”
This calls into question the ethics of supporting something that directly gives an actively transphobic woman royalties or profit. There are differing takes on how to approach this specific issue. Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter is the same way, with some refusing to buy merchandise directly from the park because of the royalties Rowling receives with every purchase. Others are attempting to “separate the art from the artist” and consume the show, movies, merchandise, and books with the acknowledgment of their disagreement with Rowling’s behavior.
Now, the new Harry Potter trailer is here, and the show finally feels real in a way it hasn’t for the last three years. As a trans person and a longtime fan, I’ve been torn between my love of the series and my genuine and whole-hearted disgust for Rowling and her leanings. Since the trailer, I’ve chosen not to watch the show, but for more complicated reasons than you may think.
I have long been of the opinion that Harry Potter has now been reclaimed by queer fans who have made the fantasy world more welcoming and safe for us through outlets like fanfiction and fan merch. Pairings like Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, or Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, have given queer audiences an outlet for their love of the series and its world, outside of the author. Watching the new reboot, however, feels different from rewatching the movies or even rereading the books due to the current timeline of the project. Rowling is very much alive and well, and actively against political attempts to establish rights for trans people in Great Britain. Watching the show or reading her recent books gives her a platform to work from. Consuming her new content is different from listening to music from Michael Jackson, who is no longer around to benefit from the interaction.
Buying Rowling’s books or giving her royalties is akin to buying a Tesla while despising Elon Musk, or paying to see Morrissey in concert. Money is the bloodstream of power, and if those who oppose powerful people are still giving in to their capitalistic interests, then the rich stay rich, and it’s even harder to enact change.
There is also the matter of values. Personally, I don’t use Amazon to shop, because I am morally against Amazon’s business and labor practices and the idea of mass consumption. However, I do use the Amazon Prime Video streaming service and pay to watch movies like Project Hail Mary that are funded by the company. In the end, does my choice not to use Amazon Prime really matter? Does my decision to avoid the HBO series serve as any serious deterrent against Rowling’s behavior? Maybe not.
Then again, small steps are big steps. I do believe that acting in alignment with your values is important when exploring your sense of self in an ever-polarizing world. Companies run deep, but refusing to give in is an act of resistance. As someone afraid of being publicly trans for fear of repercussions, as someone in a queer relationship who recently had to worry about the legality of marriage, and as someone affected by the lack of trans healthcare and gender-affirming surgery, I cannot give in. My convictions and my beliefs have to be stronger than the forces that seek to make them obsolete.
I don’t think I am a perfect person for choosing to avoid the show. I don’t think those who choose to watch it are inherently transphobic. I’m opting out because watching it feels wrong to me, and it goes against my personal values. Amazon isn’t out much because of my lack of business, just like Kanye still has plenty of streams. But one voice is still important, and every individual should be able to decide what feels right to them. I’m not disillusioning myself by thinking I’m a perfect activist. I’m just choosing to give my money to other outlets as much as I can, and keep my love for my childhood favorite alive without compromising myself.