this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2025
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[–] [email protected] 86 points 6 days ago (16 children)

I think these hard line stances do more harm than good.

My wife and I are active in not supporting any new things, but to talk about how you think it's morally wrong to even talk about the franchise is going to alienate a ton of people.

I feel fine talking about it, and the memories I had with it. Because everyone I surround myself with is completely aligned that Harry Potter was meaningful when we were kids and also JK Rowling is a complete fucking asshat.

This sort of purity testing has got to stop. If mentioning the name of Harry Potter marks someone as a transphobe who is equally as bad as politicians actively stripping them of their rights... The movement will never build a coalition.

Saying that financially supporting JK Rowling is actively harming the trans community is a reasonable argument. Saying that talking about Harry Potter, even if you note that JK Rowling sucks, makes you an outright transphobe is not reasonable to me.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (3 children)

Too bad, trans people are more important than your pottertreats. If trans people say something is hurting them just stop doing it. Don't get into the nitty gritty of "how much harm does it do really?" make as wide a distance as you can to it.

As for this specific instance its not even hard to see how it is harming trans people: talking about hp keeps it in the spotlight which generats more sales.

Why wouldn't you purge the franchise that funds trans genocide from your life??

[–] [email protected] 27 points 6 days ago (8 children)

Amazing how you people can't even read a full post before having your aneurysm about trans allys not being pure enough for you

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 6 days ago (6 children)

I want to be respectful here, but this has a lot of issues embedded in it.

This kind of rhetoric rises from what I've called the Authoritarian Left, which is an immensely detrimental wing. It's a group where there is no nuance.

You say that if a trans person says it's hurting them I should stop doing it. OK, but what if a republican says it? Now suddenly I should ignore them? You can't base your entire ideology on what members of groups say or demand that others adhere to yours simply because you think you're right.

I love trans people, and I actively fight for them and their rights. But why? I'll tell you, it's not because Democrats told me to love them, or a religious leader, or anyone in politics. I looked at the world critically and found their cause worthy.

I'm a durable ally. I'll stick with it when it's not cool or trendy, or when it comes at a cost. But that's because I arrived at those truths myself.

To loop all the way back to the premise - if talking about Harry Potter at all hurts Trans people, then this post hurts trans people. If you disagree with that, then nuance exists. And I'm saying in the nuance of how and who I talk about any topic with, I know and understand that those people understand the situation.

I don't make public posts about Harry Potter. I often talk about how JK Rowling is a garbage person. My friends have a Harry Potter party that they've been hosting for years, and every person there is of a similar mindset that trans people deserve so much more than they are getting.

You have to allow more than one idea in your head at the same time. If you're making the rule "talking about Harry Potter in any way, at any time, makes you an active enemy of the trans movement", then that's not a place I want to be associated with.

If you want advice - focus on how JK Rowling is harming people. Elevate that as much as you can. When you make these purity tests, you make people not give a shit because it makes it impossible to adhere to the strict and narrow path you say is OK.

This authoritarian left wing of democrats is what got Trump elected. They are so hard nosed on every issue they completely isolate people and make these issues harder to fight for, not easier. You're heart is in the right place, but we live in a world full of nuance, and the real trick is not scolding people into adherence, but it's coalition building and asking people to think critically about their choices. They have to find their beliefs, you can't just demand them.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 6 days ago

This kind of hysteria is amusing.

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[–] [email protected] 46 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I’ll never. Ever. Understand being rich enough to enjoy the rest of your life and choosing to spend that wealth harming innocent people.

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[–] [email protected] 39 points 6 days ago (4 children)

I would love to understand why saying "Don't support cunts" is such a non-controversial statement.

Until it comes to Harry Potter.

Especially considering how simple it is to do.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 days ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 24 points 6 days ago

There is a huge difference between a company being very protective about their intellectual property and somebody actively working on destroying lives on humans.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 days ago

Nintendo just has a weird concept of protecting their property. Rowling instead is an arsehole

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 6 days ago (1 children)

If you wanna play the game, pirate it and then play it offline.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I wasn't interested in playing it, but now I'm gonna do this out of spite.

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Unpopular opinion coming, but fuck it. Harry Potter was never great, besides being set in the modern day it's very generic and the movies were mid. some people will worship whatever JK Rowling breathes on

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (5 children)

I made the same decision with Brandon Sanderson and his fuckin fanclub takes it extremely personally when I point out how problematic he is as an author.

Yes, his writing is good. Yes, his writing is remarkably inclusive with regards to sexual orientation, disability, and mental illness.

However, Brandon is a Mormon first and foremost, and actively tithes to his church. That means a significant percentage of ALL Dragonsteel profits go directly towards the suppression and disenfranchisement of LGBTQ+ programs, sex education, and effective mental health services.

He might write a good story, but his IRL politics are repugnant.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Oh, when you brought him up I was worried he had actively done something bad. But no, you just don't like that he's Mormon, that's literally your only gripe.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Every time he tithes to that house of abuse and oppression, he IS actively doing something bad. Is that not enough for you?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 days ago

No. And his books are good.

He tithes and hopes those funds go toward the good things the church accomplishes.

He has a lot of explanation on his relationship with the church and his stance on not allowing his religion to negatively affect his writing.

He has consistently advocated for lesser know authors and fought against Amazon to improve conditions for them.

His books are full of LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse people, women passing the bechdel test, and irl cultural inspiration from around the world.

He actually hires people to consult on things like schizophrenia so he doesn't promote misinformation.

The thing you are asking him to do is abandon his community. Instead he works to better it from the inside. He is a lecturer at BYU and is directly exposed to the future leaders of that church. Let him cook.

So yeah I don't like his religion's track record but anyone who has investigated the guy can see he's a fair author and the criticism is hyperbole.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 days ago

No different than Rowling in that regard. Giving money for others to actively do something bad is also bad. You don't get to launder your shit politics by paying someone to do the dirty work and it doesn't absolve you of those politics.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Financially supporting the harming and oppression of others is a problem, no matter how it's labelled. I think it's completely fair to call that out.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 days ago

i don't consume any of it but mostly because they're bad and she's a bad writer, but being a transphobe certainly didn't help her case either

[–] [email protected] 24 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (4 children)

Go read Le Guin's Earthsea books instead, which are genuinely better written, and LeGuin was a great person who wrote a lot of socially progressive literature. Not to mention that it hasn't been turned into a fucking corporate media franchise like LOTR.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I've had the first four books in the study at my mom's house since I was a kid. My nephew and nieces will read them. We have the box set of DVDs from forever ago. Same deal. I wouldn't consider myself a die-hard fan. I still don't understand why die-hard fans could still be spending so much money on the franchise. Did they add to the books?

[–] [email protected] 18 points 6 days ago

The short answer is it's not books. It's mostly licencing deals in the form of video games and merchandise... However HBO is about to put forward a new series that JKR will have executive control and an executive sized pay check for.

It's the "well it already exists and licencing deals are already paid, might as well watch it/play it/own it" that keeps the whole engine rolling on. Every time there's a little bit of advocacy to disengage from the fandom it is always spun as "too late" or focuses on the books or death of the author... But all that's really required is ambivalence.

Inevitably the new HP thing will come out and whether or not trans people mention anything people will drag up the controversy, use the reminder to brigade the spaces trans people connect online, try and goad their trans coworker for a commentary and set off yet another flurry of right wing backlash that makes elevating the franchise a patriotic duty to "stick it to the moralizing trans people to show them who is boss". All of this causes more cultural pressure on a population already underwater with being chased out of the public sphere but it will be framed as a just retaliation for a perceived slight.

It's a song and dance that will continue ad infinitum as long as it's profitable because appearantly nostalgia is worth turning a blind eye to the where the money goes.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (4 children)

Yeah, I'm gonna stop enjoying fun books or movies because somebody else is upset about the author...

[–] [email protected] 19 points 6 days ago

If you are fine with suppression of LGBTQ+ programs etc, like, not upset about it, sure! I guess this post is not meant for you then.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 days ago (5 children)

Tbf there were likely people saying the same thing about meine kampf when Jewish people were going missing.

I've never really been a HP fan, so it doesn't bother me. And as a straight white male, pride has fuck all to do with me... Buuuut I'm capable of seeing why trans communities would take issue with her inflammatory statements, and funding of discrimination against them.

Her latest venture is entirely funded by her, and aims to provide legal support for fighting against trans inclusion; Regardless of whether you agree with trans people, surely you can understand why they wouldn't want to fund that?

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 days ago

Well buying used book does not give jkr one penny, watching dvd does not give and algorithm engagement, amd any old offline game will not either.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 days ago

Why are Harry Potter fans so uniquely unable to let go and find a better franchise to support? I know TRANS people that Joanne could apparently deadname them and spit in their face and they'd still spend every disposable dollar they have to buy HP games, merch, and go to the amusement park again.

Keep taking those tests to affirm you're still a Hufflepuff, I guess.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 days ago (4 children)

Sure, Karen.

I liked the (first four) movies. Honestly awesome if short Alan Rickman screentime. I pirated them. I watch hem whenever I want, not when you think I have to be a soldier for your cause, and that bitch still don't get a cent from me.

Like, sure, conveniently I won't have any spare time to rewatch them this month, but that's because life is busy not becuse you think you're right.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Or you could just... watch better movies.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 days ago

Trans people: "this is doing harm to us please stop!"
Cis: "Is it really though? Asking people to quit their pottertreats is just alienating stop being so dramatic!"

[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 days ago (6 children)

I think all the attention y’all give to her is what’s keeping this in the cultural spotlight. I basically never think about her, or the books, until I see posts like these on the internet. We gotta separate the art from the artist.

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