I’ve mentioned both on social media and on a recent blog post about my feelings on J.K Rowling. I thought I’d sit down and actually chat about why I’m going to be saying goodbye to her after 20+ years. Some of my views might be obvious but this is sort of therapy for me too.
Hopefully this post will make sense so bear with me.
Why am I saying goodbye to her in the first place?
That’s a loaded question and the picture above should give you a vague idea. For years I had a rose-tinted outlook on her due to Harry Potter. I could only see the boy wizard in front of her and the odd charity she associated herself with. My mum was one of the first people to realise that something was wrong with J.K Rowling’s views and ideals. It wasn’t as obvious back then but it did get me thinking.
It wasn’t until I saw the first of her transphobic tweets that I realised how bigoted my ex-hero really was.
I do understand that people have a right to believe what they want to…inside their head. What I don’t understand is why they think it’s okay to use those views to hurt and damage those around them. I’m still utterly baffled when it comes to any sort of hate crime. Whether it be racial, gender-orientated or religious, no-one should have to harden themselves against attacks.
It isn’t right and shouldn’t happen.
I’m so proud of the friends I have surrounded myself with over the years.
They are the strongest people I have ever known and I have so much admiration for them. They are different, they are determined and they are powerful. I didn’t even know that I was making friends with unique sort of people until the last few years.
I don’t see disability or other things people might percieve as ‘not the norm’. I see people who love Doctor Who, write amazing fanfiction and love the same things I do. Do I judge them because they’re transgender? No, I don’t. Do I question them about it? No because it isn’t my place to question them. If they know deep-down that they’re meant to be a girl/boy, then that’s perfectly with me.
I’m more than happy to use the proverbs that they want me to use.
Why?
It’s their life and they shouldn’t have to have someone else’s view shoved down their throats.
I won’t lie and say that I didn’t cry when I saw how utterly wrong J.K Rowling’s views are. One of the things about being autistic is that we have something that we’re a little obsessed with. It could be Disney, Lego, trains or, in my case, Harry Potter. Harry Potter has been my life for decades. It’s how I met the majority of my friends, it’s how I got the confidence to take up acting and it’s why I loved to collect anything Potter.
That’s been tainted.
I won’t be leaving the Wizarding World because, as soon as she wrote the final word in Deathly Hallows, that world was no longer hers. It was ours. She created it but we brought it to life and we’re not going to allow her to destroy it. She is nothing more than our Dolores Umbridge and I refuse to let her win.
Here are some transgender charities that deserve all the support. Instead of buying any of her books, donate that money to them.
- Mermaids (for children, young people and their families)
- Scots Trans Alliance
- Sparkle (National Transgender Charity)
- Imaan (for LGBT Muslims)
- SAIL NI (for trans people in Northern Ireland)
- Albert Kennedy Trust (for anyone trans who is homeless or in a hostile environment)
- Action For Trans Health (aiding trans people to get access to healthcare services)
Goodbye J.K Rowling. I hope you learn from the mistakes you’ve made and the hurt you’ve inflicted.
What are your thoughts on the whole J.K situation?
17 Comments
Hannah
30th July 2020 at 6:31 pmI only read the 1st 4 Harry Potter books, so I didn’t really become crazy about them after. I have heard about JK Rowling’s transphobic tweets. It is really disappointing, especially for her fanbase. Good riddance to her!
Hannah | http://hannahonhorizon.com
Lindsey
30th July 2020 at 7:57 pmThis is such a powerful post and I personally have huge admiration for you for putting it out there. It’s always hard when your hero disappoints you: to see past the reason why they’re your hero and to see what is truly going on. When something is a big part of your life, the idea of losing that can be scary, whatever form that “something” is. Sticking to your ideals, your values and your friends can never be a bad choice. It shouldn’t taint your memories of enjoying Harry Potter – those memories and feelings belong to you and only you, but it can be a hard yet powerful thing to step back from something/someone. This is a fantastic post and I’m glad you shared.
Jenny in Neverland
31st July 2020 at 11:42 amAmazing post Daisy. It’s amazing that Harry Potter fans have taken the world for their own and are no longer associating it with the author. It’s an incredible story and fandom and it’s such a shame that it’s been tainted x
lifestyleseason
31st July 2020 at 5:11 pmGreat post! I totally agree with. What she has been saying is not right and I won’t be supporting her.
Ellie-M
31st July 2020 at 7:25 pmI am totally with you on this. I was heart-broken to see her tweets, especially coming from someone I admired for so long. Great post, thanks for sharing x
Daisy
1st August 2020 at 6:44 pmYAY! Welcome to the crew! I think she’s just been blinded by money and power. It’s just sad.
That Happy Reader
31st July 2020 at 5:14 pmGreat post! So powerful and responsive to the many that idolize her work that must be let down because of her comments. I really feel that there are some points of view that should not be shared publicly.
Lisa
31st July 2020 at 5:28 pmBrilliant post. I recently unfollowed JK Rowling on Twitter. I was shocked and upset to hear all her transphobic comments.
Harry Potter will always always have a place in my heart but JK Rowling is definitely not there anymore.
It just makes me sad for all the fans out there who found comfort and solace in her books who have now been let down by her xx
Dellybird
31st July 2020 at 5:51 pmGreat post Daisy! I am with you that the world is no longer hers. It belongs to the kids that wish their Hogwarts letter would arrive, to the ones who wrote fanfiction of a diverse world where everyone belongs. I won’t be giving any more money to her but the fandom and indie creators I will continue to support (especially trans creators)
Lisa
1st August 2020 at 4:12 pmI completely understand – and you did a great job explaining your views. It’s awfully hard to still like an author for her work when you know her views in life to be so discriminatory and phobic
Daisy
1st August 2020 at 6:40 pmThat means a lot! I don’t always find it easy to get my thoughts down so that is great to hear! It really is. Sometimes you have to realise that your childhood hero isn’t always perfect.
Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes
1st August 2020 at 8:57 pmThanks for sharing, I read the tweets and thought okay she is entitled to her opinion but it’s not the greatest opinion to have when you have some many fans of your work that are in the transgender community that has found comfort in her books.
I have not totally sent goodbye to her as my nephew has started to read the books, it will teach him a lesson that not everybody opinion are right you have to stick with what you believe to be right, that everybody should be accepted no matter who they are
Nic | Nic’s Adventures & Bakes
Daisy
4th August 2020 at 6:33 pmThank you so much for a detailed comment! I totally understand why you’re not completely saying goodbye. I’m still hoping to re-read them eventually but just going to take me a while! Hope your nephew enjoys them!
Holly
5th August 2020 at 2:32 pmKnowing how big a fan you are, this mus have been so difficult to write!! I love Harry Potter but I don’t love JK and I personally don’t agree with her tweets at all. Although anyone can say what they choose, I don’t always think they should, especially when they have such a large audience! She could have just said nothing. xx
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19th October 2020 at 8:32 am[…] Why I’m Saying Goodbye To J.K Rowling […]
Kate
3rd January 2021 at 8:07 pmJK Rowling has been a huge disappointment. I grew up with the Harry Potter stories and found comfort in them throughout my childhood, and even into adulthood. Finding out JKR wasn’t supportive of the trans community was a huge blow. I feel like I no longer want to buy anything HP related because I don’t want to give any money to her. Before this whole theatre shutdown, I was such a huge fan of the Cursed Child play and now when it reopens I don’t know if I’ll ever go back. But as much as I was upset by her comments, I can’t imagine how much it hurt the trans community in the Harry Potter fandom. I know a lot of LGBTQ+ people who have found acceptance and support from the HP fandom, a community which has always felt very welcoming. Sometimes I wonder whether we can really separate the artist from the art. For now I will probably remain conflicted about still enjoying Harry Potter. But I know for sure I will never be supporting any work JKR puts out from here onwards.
Kate ♥️ | https://asimplesliceofkate.com/
Daisy
6th January 2021 at 5:45 pmHarry Potter has definitely been irreversibly tainted for me. I still hold the friends I made through it close and will always have the characters, but J.K Rowling no longer exists to me. At least not until she changes this dangerous path she’s taking. I still love Cursed Child but only because fans have created stories with Scorpius and Albus! x