Talking about Harry Potter merch online feels like I'm gonna be shot dead at any moment actually and yes it is that serious
1) I've been in the fandom almost a decade. I own old shit. Yes she's been vile for a while but take in mind I was literally a prepubescent child until 2020, with very limited Internet access.
2) a big majority of my stuff is also thrifted. How DARE YOU imply I am ignorant to the harm inflicted on my OWN community. My tumblr rambles and fanfics do not financially aid her.
So I’d like to open by saying that J.K. Rowling is an awful, bigoted transphobic piece of shit radfem who ought to be held accountable for her hate speech and horrendous actions toward the trans community.
As an asexual person, I am affected by JKR’s violent rhetoric, but I also have some privilege in this issue because (1) I do not live in the UK, and (2) I am cisgender, and the biggest targets of JKR are trans people.
Hopefully we all know by now that any money given to JKR will inevitably get funneled into transphobic organizations and used to further harm British trans people—who are already at high risk. DO NOT buy any merchandise from this woman. This includes any new copy of the books, merchandise purchased in the HP section of the theme park (including water bottles, but not including the rides themselves; see here), and the video game. It includes streaming the tv show on HBO, watching the movies on television, and borrowing the books from a public library. For the sake of your trans and nonbinary and intersex and asexual and Jewish siblings, please stop giving this woman money.
Now that that’s out of the way.
There’s a large discussion here on Tumblr as to whether any attention given to the HP franchise (including piracy and fanfic) benefits JKR. This is a difficult, nuanced topic—one that I’ve seen trans people on either side of. It’s not as simple as “trans people all want you to shun HP”.
In case you don’t believe me: here are some posts by trans people who disagree with the claim that simply liking HP inherently makes you a transphobe even if you don’t give JKR money.
The hard truth is that HP is already enshrined in the public consciousness. Even if every copy of those books exploded tomorrow, it wouldn’t change the fact that JKR already has a billion dollars and will actively work to harm trans people regardless of how many people like her stories. And I get it. That’s hard to swallow for a lot of us, because we want to believe that we have control and can change things. But in this case…we can’t. And that’s something we have to reckon with.
Futhermore, the calls to “take HP out of the public consciousness” fall flat when constantly centering HP in JKR related discussions is also keeping the books in the public consciousness. We can’t say “let’s forget about those stupid books” and then mention them twenty times a week.
I’ve talked a little here about how the anti HP movement frequently becomes an excuse to display ableist sentiment in “morally good” ways…e.g., by bullying people for being “problematic” rather than “cringe.” I know that “this is my hyperfixation” is a cliche by this point and may sound like an excuse, but that is in fact true for many fans (including trans people!) and the idea that hyperfixations/special interests can be erased entirely from your mind by force of will is still ableist even if the focus of the hyperfixation/SpIn is genuinely problematic.
None of this is to say that you can’t feel uncomfortable with HP fans. For a lot of trans people, HP has become associated with JKR’s transphobia and can be triggering. You have a right to interact or not interact with whomever you want, and the uncomfortable feelings that liking HP may give trans friends and family should not be minimized or brushed over.
I don’t think it’s a good idea, however, to bully anyone for what fandom they are in. Not only does this do nothing to actually harm JKR, it may push trans fans of the series into self-harm or depression—which is the opposite of what I hope you’re trying to do. Furthermore, bullying and shame tactics are bad even when aimed at genuinely harmful people. And suicide bait is not acceptable even if you send it to JKR herself.
So if the anti-HP movement is an ultimately useless bit of performative activism, what should we do instead?
There’s no easy answer to that question, because there are no easy answers in life. I can’t tell whether or not you should associate yourself with HP; that’s a personal moral choice you have to make. What I can tell you is my own personal conclusions on the matter.
DO NOT GIVE JKR MONEY. This part is nonnegotiable, sorry.
If you choose to stay in the HP fandom, make sure you understand the problems with the writing and the author. You don’t have to talk about it constantly, but be aware.
Tag all HP posts properly. Many trans people and others targeted by JKR may not wish to see that content.
JKR has said that she wants all fanfic to be sfw, so if you’re comfortable with it writing t4t smut would be a great way to spite her.
Do not bring up HP unprompted in the real world and do not recommend it to others unless you know they will not financially support JKR.
Do not engage with recent installments like the tv show or the video game. There is no nostalgia attached to those things so ignoring them should be possible.
If you see someone offline who enjoys HP uncritically, take them aside and let them know about JKR’s views. Most people in the real world aren’t embroiled in online Twitter drama and don’t realize what an awful person JKR is. If you explain it to them, they may stop giving her financial support. (Corollary: Do not try this if you do not feel safe with the person.)
Donate to charities that help trans people in the UK. Some suggestions I would give are Not a Phase and Mermaids. These will help the people directly affected by JKR’s violent rhetoric far more than harassing random HP fans on Tumblr will.
