Can you support trans rights and still watch Harry Potter? I'm pro-trans, I'm angry at JK Rowling, and I don't think the answer is as simple as people say.
No you cannot. And I’m trans. JK Rowling literally said that she would use the profits she earns from the HP reboot to fund anti-trans organizations, policies, legislation, etc. and that is where you have to draw the line. You can’t call yourself an trans ally anymore if you do this. And you no longer have an opinion on any and all trans issues if you do this. If a trans person says THIS IS TRANSPHOBIC, that IS THE END OF THE DISCUSSION. Game over. We are in the middle of a trans genocide RIGHT NOW, and the second I see so-called trans allies sacrifice all of us for a “comfort show” that’ll literally fund transphobic violence, we are done. That simple.
Totally understand your point of view. I share a different one on the show and the franchise. But we share the same view about Rowling and her beliefs.
Trans person here, if you give JK money, she has publicly stated that every penny goes to groups whose entire purpose is to deny trans people rights to exist in public. Any “ally” who tries to defend giving JK any money is not an ally in my book.
Thank you for such a thought-provoking post. I'm GenX and wasn't into the fantasy world of Harry Potter. I did see how it inspired young people to read, which I took as a positive. I also remember the fundamentalist Christian backlash attacking the Harry Potter books as Satanic. It is such a tragedy that Rowling has embraced such hateful bigotry after giving the world the gift of Harry Potter. It is the age-old question of separating the creator from their works.
I'm a huge music fan, and I think about how artists like John Lennon were abusive to women, or how Michael Jackson's unethical (possibly illegal) interactions with children were. Yet, I still listen to and enjoy their music.
Humans are complex creatures living along a spectrum of ethics and morality. The black/white duality claimed by those on the extremes is easy to proclaim but difficult to carry out. Taking the positive from Harry Potter while supporting Trans Rights seems to be the best revenge against the hatefest being promoted by Rowling.
I have to agree with this sentiment. Whenever my wife and I go to Universal Studios, we are financially supporting the parks and licenses for many IPs we love, including Harry Potter. Even if I'm not streaming the movies on HBO Max, I still pay for the service and watch other things on there. I have my original DVD copies of the movies and my original hardback copies of the series when they first released. It's way more than just black and white.
No you cannot. And I’m trans. JK Rowling literally said that she would use the profits she earns from the HP reboot to fund anti-trans organizations, policies, legislation, etc. and that is where you have to draw the line. You can’t call yourself an trans ally anymore if you do this. And you no longer have an opinion on any and all trans issues if you do this. If a trans person says THIS IS TRANSPHOBIC, that IS THE END OF THE DISCUSSION. Game over. We are in the middle of a trans genocide RIGHT NOW, and the second I see so-called trans allies sacrifice all of us for a “comfort show” that’ll literally fund transphobic violence, we are done. That simple.
Totally understand your point of view. I share a different one on the show and the franchise. But we share the same view about Rowling and her beliefs.
Trans person here, if you give JK money, she has publicly stated that every penny goes to groups whose entire purpose is to deny trans people rights to exist in public. Any “ally” who tries to defend giving JK any money is not an ally in my book.
Thank you for such a thought-provoking post. I'm GenX and wasn't into the fantasy world of Harry Potter. I did see how it inspired young people to read, which I took as a positive. I also remember the fundamentalist Christian backlash attacking the Harry Potter books as Satanic. It is such a tragedy that Rowling has embraced such hateful bigotry after giving the world the gift of Harry Potter. It is the age-old question of separating the creator from their works.
I'm a huge music fan, and I think about how artists like John Lennon were abusive to women, or how Michael Jackson's unethical (possibly illegal) interactions with children were. Yet, I still listen to and enjoy their music.
Humans are complex creatures living along a spectrum of ethics and morality. The black/white duality claimed by those on the extremes is easy to proclaim but difficult to carry out. Taking the positive from Harry Potter while supporting Trans Rights seems to be the best revenge against the hatefest being promoted by Rowling.
I have to agree with this sentiment. Whenever my wife and I go to Universal Studios, we are financially supporting the parks and licenses for many IPs we love, including Harry Potter. Even if I'm not streaming the movies on HBO Max, I still pay for the service and watch other things on there. I have my original DVD copies of the movies and my original hardback copies of the series when they first released. It's way more than just black and white.