Hi there! So this is gonna be very random lol but I was checking viria's dr*rry art and saw a response from you on one of her posts to someone who said they were interested in getting into dr*rry. And I just wanted to say that I REALLY loved your response and approach in general of the whole issue surrounding h*p and the fandom.
I wish more people had this mindset because I'd love to still reblog and engage with h*p content but I don't want to make my followers and mutuals feel uncomfortable and potentially make them think that I'm a j*kr supporter or a terf because I'm definitely not! That's also why I'm writing to you anonymously.. it just really sucks that still being a h*p fan basically means that you align yourself with a terf which is not true AT ALL to the majority of the fandom. I just love the world and the characters and want to reblog some fanart and I wish I could do that freely without being judged and basically crucified.
Anyway I've never talked about this with anyone so I just wanted to finally do so with someone who thinks the same way that I do!
/Btw I decided to censor any h*p related words in case you don't want this ask to start making the rounds outside of the fandom.
Oh wow this was a very thoughtful response! And I appreciate you deciding to censor it, out of courtesy for me.
It's really unfortunate how shitty of a person Rowling ended up being. And I feel everyone will make their own decisions and form their own personal opinions on whether or not they're willing to still engage with the fandom. Personally, I don't feel like either side is wrong. If HP makes someone uncomfortable now that they know the author's a TERF, that's totally valid! There's a ton of problematic content within the books (like the obvious racism), and people are bound to reveal more problematic stuff the more critically we look at the books. If that's tainted their love for HP, it's totally okay for them to separate themselves from the series.
Adversely, if you or others still love HP at its core and decide to separate the author from the series, then I feel like that's just as okay. My own personal bias is that if you're not putting any more money into Rowling's pockets, that you're doing your part. The fandom isn't hateful and we are constantly evolving to make HP more inclusive, regardless of whatever BS the author may try to pull. Supporting small artists and writers is probably the most ethical way to engage with HP imo. Because they're completely separate from JK. I can't wrap my head around why others would have an issue with that. But I suppose it's not my place to speculate. Unless the artist is also a TERF or is using their platform to promote hatred (which most of us wouldn't follow that artist regardless), I don't see the problem. But everyone's views are different, and that's okay.
I think, somewhat, that we as a society hold this high standard of morality, mostly in online spaces. Such that they view things in black and white terms where if you don't agree with their morals, then you're automatically the bad guy. In this case, people feeling like you're also a TERF just because you still enjoy the series. That's just how it is, unfortunately. Some people will stay angry at Rowling and anyone who still enjoys HP and they're well within their right to. It sucks, especially if it's your mutuals, but we can't change how people feel. They can always block the tags if it genuinely makes them that uncomfortable to see the content. Maybe you could make a side blog where you can feel comfortable reposting the content. It might still suck a bit, but that's a plausible work around. I don't know if that makes me sound callous, but also it's gotta feel shitty being judged for enjoying something as popular and widespread as HP. Some of us still love the magic of the series and I don't think anyone should be able to take that from us.
I also feel like HP has grown into it's own separate entity, in a way. After all these years, the fandom's created so much lore and so many headcannons that, to me, it feels like it's not even JK's anymore. We all agreed on death of the author a while ago, I thought. I think there's so many ethical ways of engaging with the fandom still, so that's what I'm going to continue to do! I love the characters and the magic and I can still hate Rowling while I'm at it. And I think that's okay, personally.
I also don't typically engage in online spaces because I'm just here for the vibes, so honestly I didn't even know there was an issue with liking HP still until recently. So I don't have the capacity to understand, fully, why anyone would hate on someone just for liking the series 💔
Feel free to DM me if you'd like to keep venting about this topic, or you can even continue to send asks. It's probably good to get these feelings off your chest and to also speak with likeminded people who aren't going to judge you for it.
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