The Wizarding World of Uncertainty: Navigating the World of Harry Potter in an Era of J.K. Rowling’s Bigotry

It is no secret that the Harry Potter franchise is well loved amongst society. The Harry Potter experience is often nostalgic to those who have engaged with it and, at the very least, notable to those who have not. The creation of this whimsical, magic-filled universe is a critical part of fantasy media and fan culture. So where do we go when world-famous author, J.K. Rowling, has viewpoints that are not as well received as her writing? Some people believe that we should cancel the entire franchise. Others believe that we can remove J.K. Rowling and her ideologies from her writing. 

But as a society, can we actually separate the book from the author? Well, no. It’s not that simple. 

We cannot ignore J.K. Rowling’s role in creating the Harry Potter franchise for a few core reasons: profitability, accountability, and transgender perspectives.

(Image: © Warner Bros)

Let’s be clear: J.K. Rowling’s world views suck. This post isn’t intended to debate if Rowling’s perspectives are warranted. They are not. Her history of transphobic comments and dedication to trans-exclusionary radical feminism is concerning and rightfully receives backlash from the general public.

Her recent behavior has been the highlight of many video essays and internet rants. 

She is, however, the creator of this extremely successful franchise. There is a trending idea that if someone is interested in reading or watching Harry Potter, it is best to buy the books on thrift sites or pirate the films. While this may clear the conscience, this does not do much to stop J.K. Rowling’s ever increasing income. The Harry Potter franchise has been ingrained in our culture in many different ways: books, films, spin-offs, merchandise, games, entire amusement parks, the list goes on. J.K. Rowling will always benefit from someone indulging in her content whether that is a fraction of a cent from a mug of Butterbeer or her next million dollar brand deal. 

An author’s personality and viewpoints contribute to their work. We have to hold them accountable for the way their bias influences their narratives. This cannot be ignored even when reading media that regarded as “escapism” such as Harry Potter. Although some internet users believe J.K. Rowling’s viewpoints may have been altered after writing the series, there are problematic elements in the Harry Potter series itself. Fans often comment on the lack of representation for people of color (more here ) and being mislead into thinking there will be canonically LGBT+ characters (here). Specifically, fans comment on Cho Chang and the racist undertones in the writing of this character. The series is admired by many yet features controversial elements. For better or for worse, Rowling’s prejudices and beliefs directly influenced the narrative. 

J.K. Rowling will continue to benefit from Harry Potter while continuing to make statements dehumanize trans individuals. Although this piece of media may not explicitly include transphobia and Rowling’s statements came years after the release of Harry Potter, the statements have left trans individuals in a complicated relationship with the series. On social media, some transgender people have had to completely remove themselves from the Harry Potter universe due to discontent with Rowling’s statements. While others mention that they will continue to hold Harry Potter as a beloved piece of media whilst being extremely critical of J.K. Rowling’s personal views (ex. Alex Rose on YouTube). The removal of an author from their work does not provide an answer for trans peoples, especially those who felt a strong emotional connection to the series and characters.

Of course, a person can have an individualized separation from the creator. Many users on social media such as YouTube and Twitter have expressed their love for the series and opposition to Rowling’s transphobic nonsense. This is done by enjoying books and movies that are pre-owned and engaging with like-minded fans instead of Rowling herself. This is much more feasible than attempting to ‘cancel’ Harry Potter in its entirety. 

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(Image: © Universal Studios)

Some say that society can be effective in removing the artist from their art. People on social media will still engage with the content saying things like “I love Harry Potter, but I’m not sure who wrote it” or “It’s amazing that no one wrote Harry Potter” and other facetious comments. In The Atlantic’s article entitled “How J. K. Rowling Became Voldemort”, there is said to be a common fan name for Rowling: “She Who Must Not Be Named”. This mimics the phrase used for the series villain, Voldemort. Some even go as far as to say that Harry Potter was ghostwritten by a secret team of writers, although these arguments have no sufficient proof and are usually just products of Reddit conspiracy threads. It is clear that people will go to great lengths to remove her from the narrative, so that they can enjoy the content in peace.

There are companies that clarify their attempt to distance themselves from Rowling. For instance, Warner Bros. made a statement revealing that an upcoming game, entitled “Hogwarts Legacy”, will not feature any direct influence from Rowling. 

 I definitely see the appeal for feigning ignorance, but I think that would be disregarding an opportunity to hold media and their creators accountable. A better approach is acknowledging the inappropriate actions and viewpoints from the author and recognizing that you can still appreciate the narrative.

McGregor, in an article from The Star, says: “We shouldn’t, as critical readers, cancel books or just throw books in the garbage. We just have to think about how to read those books critically.”

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(Image: © Warner Bros)

As much as I wish we could, I do not think it will ever be possible to separate J.K. Rowling from her all-famous creation, Harry Potter. She will continue to benefit from the franchise regardless of a societal effort to remove her from this media. Additionally, the importance of author accountability and marginalized perspectives contribute to the impractical idea that we can remove an author from their work. Unfortunately, creators of great talent, writing or otherwise, can be problematic in nature. J.K. Rowling is not the first of these kind and will not be the last.

I recommend that people view the content they consume with a critical eye and allow creators to take accountability for their perspectives. If those with large platforms have harmful views, public criticism should counter this without ignoring the influence these people have on society. Most importantly, listen to those who are the targets of J.K. Rowling’s dehumanizing opinions. Specifically, trans peoples and others who feel that Rowling has slighted them in either her writing or posts to social media.

There is a way to enjoy cozying up by the fire and cracking open page 679 of a Harry Potter book while acknowledging J.K. Rowling’s not-so-great point of views.

Sources:

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/07/why-millennial-harry-potter-fans-reject-jk-rowling/613870/

https://www.diaryofanaspiringloser.com/all-the-black-asian-and-wizards-and-witches-of-color-in-the-harry-potter-series/

https://www.insider.com/fantastic-beasts-jk-rowling-dumbledore-lgbt-backlash-2018-2

https://www.instyle.com/celebrity/jk-rowling/harry-potter-fansites-no-longer-support-jk-rowling

https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/17/21443940/hogwarts-legacy-jk-rowling-transphobia-warner-bros-robert-galbraith

6 Replies to “The Wizarding World of Uncertainty: Navigating the World of Harry Potter in an Era of J.K. Rowling’s Bigotry”

  1. A potential solution to this problem would be to turn Harry Potter into a learning opportunity for people who aren’t so familiar with trans issues. I don’t care how much money Rowling has so long as she isn’t influencing other people to have the same viewpoint as her. If we culturally associate Harry Potter with Trans issues, then every time Rowling sells a book someone will be educated to read it critically.

  2. I read all of the books in elementary school and went through a huge Harry Potter phase for years. I am out of it now, but I cannot imagine how heartbreaking and frustrating it must be for trans fans of Harry Potter who have found comfort in the series and characters. I truly think in this case it is important to try and separate Rowling from the content. However, you are definitely right: she does continue to seek profit from the brand which is so widespread. That being said, she has already made so much money, I don’t think that anything done now would hurt her income. I think the best thing to do is to not let what she has done be forgotten. If you are a Harry Potter fan, you better be a very vocal ally to the trans community and speak out against transphobia. In a way, this is a blessing and a curse. I think she has helped for trans discourse to be moved into the public eye. Hopefully we can make sure it is a good thing by advocating for trans rights and teaching people why what she said is not okay.

  3. I think, as many do, that Harry Potter is an amazing book series, and the author’s opinions will not change my mind about that. I think each person has the opportunity to incorporate trans discourse when Harry Potter is mentioned and thus push back against Rowling’s views.

  4. I think educating people about trans discourse is important so as to inform them before they read content from the series and thus have their own views leaving little to no room to be influenced by something harmful.

  5. This was really eye opening. I grew up with an older sister and brother who absolutely love harry potter. I read the books once but never really became a fanatic like them. Just when I was going to give it another shot is when the first bad news about JK Rowling started rolling around. I had the privilege of being able to ignore comepletely the things she was saying because I knew they wouldn’t impact me, but now I realize that she has said harmful things and for change to happen, and for the world to be an easier place to navigate, we can’t ignore problematic creators because we like their content. We have to hold them accountable

  6. This is an interesting and important post. As you said, it’s important to listen to the voices of people who are being marginalized, and acknowledge how a work of art or its author might perpetuate that marginalization. I personally enjoy lots of works of art that have problematic authors or problematic elements (in fact, I’d say it’s nearly impossible not to), but it’s important that I can acknowledge what makes them difficult for some people to engage with. It’s a privilege to be able to see past the precarious and harmful parts of a piece, especially when they don’t marginalize my own identity.

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