Two Big ‘Harry Potter’ Fan Sites Have Said “Fuck No” To J.K. Rowling Over Her Trans Remarks

Rowling, Harry Potter

J.K. Rowling is facing backlash from her own fans, with two popular Harry Potter sites reducing their coverage of the author after her latest comments about trans people.

Overnight, Muggle Net and The Leaky Cauldron released a joint statement, harshly criticising the Potter creator for her remarks and explaining how they’ll report news on her in future.

The statement read:

“As this fandom enters its third decade, J.K. Rowling has chosen this time to loudly pronounce harmful and disproven beliefs about what it means to be a transgender person. In addition to the distaste we feel for her choice to publish these statements during Pride Month—as well as during a global reckoning on racial injustice—we find the use of her influence and privilege to target marginalized people to be out of step with the message of acceptance and empowerment we find in her books and celebrated by the Harry Potter community.”

It continued:

“Although it is difficult to speak out against someone whose work we have so long admired, it would be wrong not to use our platforms to counteract the harm she has caused. Our stance is firm: Transgender women are women. Transgender men are men. Non-binary people are non-binary. Intersex people exist and should not be forced to live in the binary. We stand with Harry Potter fans in these communities, and while we don’t condone the mistreatment JKR has received for airing her opinions about transgender people, we must reject her beliefs.”

“We have seen countless people use the Potter books and fan fiction to explore their own identities while spreading love and acceptance. We know that this is still possible, and we know that we want to continue to be part of that movement. We are committed to doing better work in our community to uplift and center the people who have been marginalized and create positive change from within our fandom platforms.”

Each site then outlined the specific ways they will reduce their coverage of the author, including using the hashtag #JKR when discussing her “to allow for easy muting”.

Last month, J.K. Rowling published a lengthy essay in which she articulated her feelings on trans issues, saying that:

“I refuse to bow down to a movement that I believe is doing demonstrable harm in seeking to erode ‘woman’ as a political and biological class and offering cover to predators like few before it.”

At the time, many people from the Potter franchise, including actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Eddie Redmayne, criticised her stance.

In a statement to the Sunday Times, Grint said he “firmly” stands with the trans community, adding:

“Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment.”

More Stuff From PEDESTRIAN.TV