boo

I grew up in the Harry Potter generation. My best friend and I used to queue outside Waterstones to buy the latest Harry Potter book and devour them within a couple of days. I got engaged to my ex-partner in front of Tim Riddle’s parent’s grave at Harry Potter World in London. I always thought that Harry Potter would be something that I could read to my daughter, connect with her over, talk to her about. I read her the first two books when she was a newborn - before I was aware of JK’s views.

Harry Potter played a huge part in my life as someone who grew up in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. I devoured it all. The films, the books, the fanfiction, the beautiful art people made. I owned multiple pieces of merch, and wore them often.

But I can’t stay silent.

The new series would’ve made teenage me scream in excitement. Like Hogwarts Legacy, it was everything I’ve ever wanted as a child. I wanted more of this world that I had placed on a pedestal and let define a chunk of my life.

As I got older, Harry Potter became something I wanted wasn’t hugely into but could still look back on fondly. “Remember when we went to the cinema to see Half Blood Prince?” “Remember when we dressed as dementors for Halloween?”

But then JK Rowling began to make her heinous opinions known.

I have friends who are trans. I have friends who are non-binary. I have friends who are gender fluid. I value them more than words can express, and certainly more than Harry Potter.

JK Rowling uses her wealth to directly harm trans people in the UK on a political level. She uses people consuming her work as an endorsement of her views.

I can’t stand by while she actively stands against the mere existence of people I love dearly.

As someone who grew up on Harry Potter, as someone who was so ingrained in the fandom and wanted this series so badly at one point - it is in no way worth it.

People who starred in the film series have publicly disavowed her for her views - this new series is merely an attempt by her to stay relevant and keep making money so she can funnel it into cruel anti-trans legislation and vile hatred.

Trans lives matter more than anything JK Rowling has ever written, and trans people will continue to exist long after she is gone.

Transgender people have a right to exist, and they have a right to feel safe in public spaces. This is not debatable, this is a fact.

Support your transgender community. Don’t watch the new Harry Potter series. Trans lives are more important than a tv show about wizards. And they always will be.

If you’re in the UK and want to make a difference, here are some charities you can donate to that actively help transgender people:

I’m embracing the Dark Urge and venturing into act 3✨

If you’re interested in following a weird, left wing, British, sarcastic, cheese loving, feminist cat lady - head on over to my twitch! It means a lot🥰

Streaming live on Twitch at 9pm GMT!

Time to kick the shit out of Ketheric Thorm and move on to act 3!

(And if you feel like following a small twitch streamer or sharing this post that would be lovely too🥹)

Come and watch my weird self stream Baldurs Gate 3, Gwent, The Witcher 3, Fable, Hearthstone, The Sims and more on Twitch! Every Sunday and Wednesday at 9pm GMT✨

The number of kids that are on a 'do not photograph' list isn't large, but it is a non-zero number. If that kid is even out of focus in the background, we do not use that photo.

If a child shows even the tiniest bit upset that there's a person in the room with a camera, I do not take their photo.

At pop culture conventions, I ask people if I can take their photo. Or if I take a candid of them, I track them down and give them my info and get th3ir consent before posting.

At events like parties, concerts, performances, consent is generally implied because these are photographed events, but if an attendee approaches me and tells me to crop them out then I crop them out.

This makes street photography tedious, but I learned in my very first job as a camp counselor that people have very good reasons for not wanting their photo publicized. There are kids in the foster system with abusive parents. There are adults with stalkers. There are people who might be a witness to a crime.

Even outside of this- I've seen how private persons become memes against their will just by going out in public. Some people are super not normal about meme fame.

Sid Vicious made the mistake one day of bursting into Queen’s control room and antagonizing their frontman. “Have you succeeded in bringing ballet to the masses, then?” he sneered. “Oh, yes, Simon Ferocious,” Mercury replied. “We’re trying our best, dear.”