Please stop buying Harry Potter, a free zine. Printed January 2026. Feel free to copy and distribute in book stores, libraries, neighborhood little libraries, and at conventions and conferences. No credit required. See this guide for how to cut and fold this single-page, one-sided zine.
Page 1: Please stop buying Harry Potter. Harry Potter is a worldwide phenomenon. Unfortunately, J.K. Rowling is using the popularity of the series to attack transgender people’s human rights.
Page 2: Recently, there has been a moral panic about trans people. A lot of it is recycled from anti-gay rights campaigns in the past.
Image descriptions: The first image features a man holding a protest sign that reads, "NO Men in Women's Bathrooms." The second image shows a Daily Mail article headline that reads, "Children 'Put At Risk' By Gender Ideology In Schools." The third image shows a newspaper article about Anita Bryant that reads, "Popular singer became known for opposition to gay rights." The picture of Anita Bryant shows a protest sign that reads, "Sign petition here to repeal Metro's 'gay' blunder! Save our children from homosexuals!"
Page 3: To be clear: Trans people have existed throughout human history and across cultures. Suggested reading for trans history: Transgender History (Stryker), Trans History (Combs & Eakett), Before Gender (Erlick).
Page 4–5: J.K. Rowling is not just "being mean" on Twitter.
Yes, she bullies trans people and cis women she thinks are trans. She also funds hate groups and spreads dangerous misinformation to her millions of followers. In 2024, she donated 70,000 British pounds to an anti-trans organization’s effort to petition the U.K. Supreme Court to take away trans rights. They won.
Image descriptions: Five newspaper headlines. Headline one reads, "JK Rowling accused of 'Holocaust Denial' over posts about transgender persecution in Nazi Germany." Headline two reads, "JK Rowling and Elon Musk named in Imane Khelif's lawsuit over Olympics gender row. Rowling referred to the boxer as a ‘male’ and accused her of ‘enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head.’" Headline three reads, "JK Rowling donates £70k for legal challenge on defining a woman." Headline four reads, "How JK Rowling funded a legal battle that curtailed trans rights in the UK." Headline five reads, "Harry Potter and the Supreme Court Ruling - are the new cast tainted by association?"
A screenshot of a Twitter post by JK Rowling dated April 16, 2025 shows Rowling sitting on her yacht while smoking a cigar. She wrote, "I love it when a plan comes together. #Supreme Court #Women's Rights."
Page 6: J.K. Rowling has said that any support for Harry Potter tells her that she is right and that people support her anti-trans actions. She is using her immense wealth, fame, and social power to violate human rights. Any attention or money that the Harry Potter franchise gets goes directly to harming trans people.
Page 7: "But what if my child asks for Harry Potter?" We often underestimate children's intelligence. Tell them what I’m telling you: Harry Potter’s creator is using her fame and money to attack a vulnerable group of people. As long as she is doing this, we cannot support her by giving her money and attention.
Page 8: No one is perfect. But consider giving these authors and their works a try instead:
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
Animorphs by K.A. Applegate
So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane
Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
For more recommendations, ask a librarian!
