Defense Against The Dark Arts
We all know what it’s like to be spellbound.
We started with the young boy with the scar on his forehead, who lived in a cupboard under the stairs. The boy who sensed and maybe even hoped that there was a world where he could be loved and respected. A world with friends and mystery and adventure: friendly ghosts, talking portraits, flying broomsticks, and a half-giant too big to be allowed who would look him in the eye and tell him an incredible truth: “You’re a Wizard, Harry. You’re a Wizard.”
Our adventure with Harry did not end with the books; we have formed life-changing friendships, created art, and sang deep into the night at conferences. We’ve leveraged real-world change, saved lives in Darfur and Haiti, and built libraries across the world. We have rejoiced together, cried together, and aspired for a better world together. In short, we have created a fandom that is magical. But sometimes even magic can fail you.
Hogwarts, with all its enchantments, could not isolate itself from danger. Harry must have found it difficult to discover that his adopted home wasn’t perfect, but that did not stop him from rallying his friends and fighting to defend it when threatened. And he never stopped calling Hogwarts his home.
Like our namesake, the Harry Potter Alliance will always protect our friends and the places — like fandom — where we want to feel safe. The reports that have come to light recently about conduct in some corridors of our home have left us feeling angry, vulnerable, and raw. Our hearts are broken to learn that members of this community have been hurt. Some of this hurt has been caused by people that many of our community looked up to as leaders. We have worked with these people in the Harry Potter and YouTube fandoms. They helped us rally fans and seemed to share our belief system. We know many of you feel betrayed and we share that feeling. But we are also encouraged.
We are encouraged because women have been speaking up about experiences that society too frequently tells us should be hushed away. We are emboldened because our community is a safe place for these stories to be heard. And we are inspired by those who have helped amplify those voices.
These women and those who have supported them have only made this community safer. They have helped us take the first step in opening a much-needed dialogue, and we owe them respect and gratitude.
Right now it is okay to feel disoriented. It is okay to take a moment to breathe and regain your balance. It is okay to question what you thought you knew.
Fandom is an act of trust. Admiration is an act of trust. When that trust is violated it is not your fault. It is not your fault if someone you admire abuses their status. It was not inevitable. You did not contribute to it. Your admiration did not cause it. You are not part of the problem.
The fans who make up our community are not to blame for these events.
But by working together, we can all be part of the solution.
Sexual assault, sexual opportunism, and emotional manipulation are all unacceptable behaviors that should have no place in the Harry Potter fandom or anywhere else. The challenges we face on this front are systemic. They stem from deep-seated societal issues that are not unique to our community; they are a part of our culture. But we have the opportunity to reject these aspects of culture. We can work to create solutions to these problems. Culture will evolve only when we play an active role in shaping it.
The Harry Potter Alliance is deeply committed to fostering a safe and healthy fan community. We are currently working with a Nerdfighter task force and LeakyCon to help make our fandom better, and seeking the advice and partnership of several professional organizations with experience handling these matters to make sure we do it right.
Being part of a fandom is a shared responsibility. If fandom is a place that you love and call home — if fandom is your Hogwarts — now is not the time to abandon it.
Now is the time to stay and defend it.
