Engaging with Harry Potter books, movies, theme parks, etc and announcing it to social media is a bizarre thing to do in 2026.
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I hate having to say this, I hate having to turn my back on people whose work or posts I otherwise enjoy, but it keeps happening and it’s so fucking depressing.
It’s the lowest possible bar. and yet.
@BenRiceM it’s not even “work”. It’s the most simple action you can take that says: I don’t support bigots and hateful rethoric.
But no. “But I like this” takes over and people don’t care. All talk, not even the smallest bit of “walk”
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I have some sympathy with people who have just not been paying attention and are on the fringe of Potter fandom. It's easy to miss how bad specific people and institutions are.
Somewhere I used to work did a gift drive before Christmas for the Salvation Army. I pointed out that, for a company with a stand at Pride that is actively trying to hire LGBTQAI+ folks, this is probably sending the wrong message. No one in the leadership team who approved it had any idea why this would be the case.
I don't blame the person who proposed them as a charity to support, who had seen only their publicity materials.
I do blame the people who approved supporting a charity without even looking at its 'controversies' section on Wikipedia.
I do blame the leadership team who, having been informed of this, continued to run the gift drive, rather than redirecting it to one of the (many) more inclusive options in the local area.
Similarly, if you've read the Potter books as a child and ignored them since then, I can understand your not knowing how much harm their author is doing and maybe being excited by the new series. But HBO management who approved it and anyone who acts in it cannot claim ignorance: they have actively decided that they want to participate in harming trans folks. And people who are reengaging with Potter fandom and are told about Rowling are making an explicit choice if they continue to do so.
@david_chisnall @BenRiceM I struggle with this one.
To some extent I am with you, and there are plenty of issues where I lack the knowledge, but at the same time I do believe we have a duty to be informed even if only on a cursory level. Yet it's also impossible to keep up. I find it difficult.
I'm not trans but I am a queer person of colour and having to acknowledge that many people aren't actively trying to harm me and people like me yet vote for people who do so nonetheless, or engage with content that causes harm either directly or indirectly, is a bitter pill to swallow. Especially as the harm is downplayed time and time again, particularly by people who never have to deal with this.
There's just such a vacuum of any sense of moral leadership in business; politics and media.
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@BenRiceM And it’s going to get worse when HBO start their MASSIVE subscriber drive towards the end of the year with the TV series.
@jonathanreed @BenRiceM it is already hellish on Audible who push their new dramatisation in your face everywhere they can.
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Engaging with Harry Potter books, movies, theme parks, etc and announcing it to social media is a bizarre thing to do in 2026.
We have been screaming from the rooftops for almost a decade about the harm this causes to trans people. You have no excuse.
If I see it, it’s an immediate unfollow.
@BenRiceM
In all honesty, that might be me at some point. Preemptively block me if you want.I will not buy any of #Rowling's products. I only use materials available from my local public library or ones that I've owned for 20 or more years, before anybody knew #JKRowling is living garbage.
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@nileane @BenRiceM My hope is that it will encourage more awareness of how horrific her actions have been and how engaging with the franchise is now very toxic.
It could also just be a terrible show which would make everyone ask why we’re still doing this franchise.
But let’s be honest, these hopes are exactly that. No guarantee any of it will happen.@jonathanreed @BenRiceM At least it will be a good opportunity to highlight where various publications and creators stand on the matter.
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Engaging with Harry Potter books, movies, theme parks, etc and announcing it to social media is a bizarre thing to do in 2026.
We have been screaming from the rooftops for almost a decade about the harm this causes to trans people. You have no excuse.
If I see it, it’s an immediate unfollow.
@BenRiceM Yup, it’s not even that good and there’s so much better out there without an actual monster who created it
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@jonathanreed @BenRiceM At least it will be a good opportunity to highlight where various publications and creators stand on the matter.
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Engaging with Harry Potter books, movies, theme parks, etc and announcing it to social media is a bizarre thing to do in 2026.
We have been screaming from the rooftops for almost a decade about the harm this causes to trans people. You have no excuse.
If I see it, it’s an immediate unfollow.
@BenRiceM Luckily the fandom continues to exercise sanity... jfc.
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Engaging with Harry Potter books, movies, theme parks, etc and announcing it to social media is a bizarre thing to do in 2026.
We have been screaming from the rooftops for almost a decade about the harm this causes to trans people. You have no excuse.
If I see it, it’s an immediate unfollow.
@BenRiceM I have seen this mentioned once in your replies but it is entirely possible that audiences are enjoying the universe while completely unaware of J.K. Rowling as a person.
Furthermore; a lot of people are capable of separating the art from the artist. I personally cannot. Some who are aware of her don't allow that to pollute their personal experience with the art.I don't think most lovers of HP are doing it for hate reasons or eagerness to line a hateful, resentful creature's pockets.
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@BenRiceM Yup, it’s not even that good and there’s so much better out there without an actual monster who created it
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@BenRiceM I have seen this mentioned once in your replies but it is entirely possible that audiences are enjoying the universe while completely unaware of J.K. Rowling as a person.
Furthermore; a lot of people are capable of separating the art from the artist. I personally cannot. Some who are aware of her don't allow that to pollute their personal experience with the art.I don't think most lovers of HP are doing it for hate reasons or eagerness to line a hateful, resentful creature's pockets.
Please don't say "separate the art from the artist" if you don't know its correct usage.
It's a concept in art studies and is almost exclusively used for artists who are dead and no longer harming people with their beliefs and money.
JK Rowling has been international news for years now for the harm she's doing to both trans people and women worldwide. If you're not aware of it, you're not paying attention, and at some point that's your own fault.
I will gladly educate people on it as these conversations occur. But trans people are fucking exhausted. And your comment is just making excuses for that.
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Engaging with Harry Potter books, movies, theme parks, etc and announcing it to social media is a bizarre thing to do in 2026.
We have been screaming from the rooftops for almost a decade about the harm this causes to trans people. You have no excuse.
If I see it, it’s an immediate unfollow.
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Engaging with Harry Potter books, movies, theme parks, etc and announcing it to social media is a bizarre thing to do in 2026.
We have been screaming from the rooftops for almost a decade about the harm this causes to trans people. You have no excuse.
If I see it, it’s an immediate unfollow.
@BenRiceM Crendospai, que povinho inflacionado. Quer dizer que se um perfil parar de seguir outro perfil a vida por trás dessa máscara será profundamente modificada?
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Please don't say "separate the art from the artist" if you don't know its correct usage.
It's a concept in art studies and is almost exclusively used for artists who are dead and no longer harming people with their beliefs and money.
JK Rowling has been international news for years now for the harm she's doing to both trans people and women worldwide. If you're not aware of it, you're not paying attention, and at some point that's your own fault.
I will gladly educate people on it as these conversations occur. But trans people are fucking exhausted. And your comment is just making excuses for that.
@CordiallyChloe @nudlan @BenRiceM
a concept "used for artists who are dead and no longer harming people with their beliefs and money. "
THIS
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Engaging with Harry Potter books, movies, theme parks, etc and announcing it to social media is a bizarre thing to do in 2026.
We have been screaming from the rooftops for almost a decade about the harm this causes to trans people. You have no excuse.
If I see it, it’s an immediate unfollow.
@BenRiceM same. I occasionally see Harry Potter as someone’s interest on a dating app profile and it’s like
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Please don't say "separate the art from the artist" if you don't know its correct usage.
It's a concept in art studies and is almost exclusively used for artists who are dead and no longer harming people with their beliefs and money.
JK Rowling has been international news for years now for the harm she's doing to both trans people and women worldwide. If you're not aware of it, you're not paying attention, and at some point that's your own fault.
I will gladly educate people on it as these conversations occur. But trans people are fucking exhausted. And your comment is just making excuses for that.
@CordiallyChloe @BenRiceM Well I apologise if I am using a 'layman's term' for the separation but even taking that out I don't think my point is excusing awful behaviour but rather observing what is fair in reality.
The very motherboards we communicate with are produced within completely inhumane & unacceptable working conditions in places where human rights are merely an idea.
I think if we can buy & use tech despite that then I think people enjoying a fantasy despite writers isn't wrong. -
@CordiallyChloe @BenRiceM Well I apologise if I am using a 'layman's term' for the separation but even taking that out I don't think my point is excusing awful behaviour but rather observing what is fair in reality.
The very motherboards we communicate with are produced within completely inhumane & unacceptable working conditions in places where human rights are merely an idea.
I think if we can buy & use tech despite that then I think people enjoying a fantasy despite writers isn't wrong.Oh come the fuck on. Don't pull the whole "mmmm we live in a society" meme bullshit. Grow up.
There's a huge fucking difference between your example and what we're talking about, and you should be smart enough to know it. You don't get to "whataboutism" this conversation.
Either take responsibility for your shitty choices or move the fuck on. In the meantime, don't expect trans people to be nice to you about it.
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Please don't say "separate the art from the artist" if you don't know its correct usage.
It's a concept in art studies and is almost exclusively used for artists who are dead and no longer harming people with their beliefs and money.
JK Rowling has been international news for years now for the harm she's doing to both trans people and women worldwide. If you're not aware of it, you're not paying attention, and at some point that's your own fault.
I will gladly educate people on it as these conversations occur. But trans people are fucking exhausted. And your comment is just making excuses for that.
@CordiallyChloe @BenRiceM Mind that I am working within the 500 character limit using my second language so I re-iterate what I said in my first post - I do not condone hate, abuse or people that operate within those things in any sense of the word.
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@CordiallyChloe @BenRiceM Mind that I am working within the 500 character limit using my second language so I re-iterate what I said in my first post - I do not condone hate, abuse or people that operate within those things in any sense of the word.
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Oh come the fuck on. Don't pull the whole "mmmm we live in a society" meme bullshit. Grow up.
There's a huge fucking difference between your example and what we're talking about, and you should be smart enough to know it. You don't get to "whataboutism" this conversation.
Either take responsibility for your shitty choices or move the fuck on. In the meantime, don't expect trans people to be nice to you about it.
@CordiallyChloe @BenRiceM I'm not sure what 'we live in a society' fully means.
People should absolutely take responsibility for their bad choices but I think expecting everyone to know the biases of the creators of anything, while maybe a fair curiousity, should not be an expectation imposed on absolutely everyone.
These are my personal opinions though & I completely understand yours as well.
