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Support JKR OR Trans & NB People
- You Cannot Do Both
I am mad. I am furious. OwlCrate, a book subscription box service, has decided to start selling products inspired by the Harry Potter series again. They stopped doing so last year when JKR started spouting her transphobic diatribe, but has now decided to do so again, because "it's too much a part of [them] to let go."
I loved those books. I adored them. I grew up alongside those characters, and the stories and the messages meant a huge deal to me. You know who is among those who loved these books that much? People who are trans and non-binary, who have been harmed by the things JKR has said. People have said in the past that the Harry Potter series no longer belongs to JKR. That the books now belong to us, to it's readers. We claimed Harry Potter for ourselves. And I agree with that. The love for those books by it's fans is so much bigger than that author. And it is, as OwlCrate says, a deeply personal choice for each individual to decide if they’ll engage with this series or not, privately.
However, it's one thing to love those books and engage with them in your own private life - not showing support online or spending money that will line JKR’s pockets - so as not to impact or hurt the lives of trans and non-binary people, and another completely to decide to create products inspired by those books that you will profit from, that publicly show your support for a hugely problematic author. It doesn't matter than JKR won't profit from the sale of those unlicensed products. It's the choice. They're choosing Harry Potter and JKR. they're choosing books, they're choosing fictional characters and nostalgia, over the very real people who are hurting and suffering because of JKR. It is not possible to support trans and non-binary people and also show support for JKR. You cannot do both, as the latter is a kick in the teeth to those trans and non-binary people you supposedly support. It adds further insult to injury. And it's absolutely beggar's belief that anyone thinks they can do both.
OwlCrate have made their choice. They've shown where their loyalties lie, what matters most to them, and it's not the lives of trans and non-binary people.
If you've decided to cancel your subscription with OwlCrate, and have some extra cash you don't know what to do with? May I suggest support trans and non-binary authors by buying their books instead? Check out my list of 48 YA and SFF Books by Trans and Non-Binary Authors* on Bookshop.org.
I loved those books. I adored them. I grew up alongside those characters, and the stories and the messages meant a huge deal to me. You know who is among those who loved these books that much? People who are trans and non-binary, who have been harmed by the things JKR has said. People have said in the past that the Harry Potter series no longer belongs to JKR. That the books now belong to us, to it's readers. We claimed Harry Potter for ourselves. And I agree with that. The love for those books by it's fans is so much bigger than that author. And it is, as OwlCrate says, a deeply personal choice for each individual to decide if they’ll engage with this series or not, privately.
However, it's one thing to love those books and engage with them in your own private life - not showing support online or spending money that will line JKR’s pockets - so as not to impact or hurt the lives of trans and non-binary people, and another completely to decide to create products inspired by those books that you will profit from, that publicly show your support for a hugely problematic author. It doesn't matter than JKR won't profit from the sale of those unlicensed products. It's the choice. They're choosing Harry Potter and JKR. they're choosing books, they're choosing fictional characters and nostalgia, over the very real people who are hurting and suffering because of JKR. It is not possible to support trans and non-binary people and also show support for JKR. You cannot do both, as the latter is a kick in the teeth to those trans and non-binary people you supposedly support. It adds further insult to injury. And it's absolutely beggar's belief that anyone thinks they can do both.
OwlCrate have made their choice. They've shown where their loyalties lie, what matters most to them, and it's not the lives of trans and non-binary people.
If you've decided to cancel your subscription with OwlCrate, and have some extra cash you don't know what to do with? May I suggest support trans and non-binary authors by buying their books instead? Check out my list of 48 YA and SFF Books by Trans and Non-Binary Authors* on Bookshop.org.
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