My last post was a plea to J.K. Rowling to stop ruining our favorite childhood series. I talked about how she inspired me and taught me feminism; she taught me it was okay to be afraid, to stand up to my bullies and to never give up the fight against patriarchy.
I have looked up to her and have strived to build strong female characters in my own art. The amount of disappointment and hurt caused be her transphobia in the name of women’s safety is massive. I am unable to fathom why she has so much hate in her heart, especially someone who claims to be an ally for battered women, who stands up against class inequalities, who has taught little girls the concept of courage. Have you never truly believed in equality? Were your morals of accepting folks even if they are different from you just story telling? Why the bias? All of this is beyond my understanding.
The audacity to question a person’s decision to transition to their authentic selves is bewildering. Why would you assume anyone would take drastic steps as coming out as transgender in the current political and transphobic climate if that isn’t their truth? It takes immense courage to walk through this life in a body that is alien and unfamiliar, we don’t need to insult their intelligence or their maturity. We, as allies, should strive to provide love and support rather than question and hate.
What makes it worse is her stubbornness to accept how wrong she actually is, her insistence that she is actually not transphobic but simply looking out for ‘real’ women and equating transition to a gateway to violence against women. What even is the logic behind these thoughts and how did you get from domestic abuse to transition being wrong? Then I realize hate doesn’t follow logic.
I have always had difficulty separating the art from the artist. As an artist myself, I know I leave a little piece of myself in every work of art I produce. To lose my security blanket, to have my cherished memories of Harry Potter be tainted by these hateful and unacceptable views has been very difficult. 2020 has been especially difficult for a lot of us and these views from J.K. Rowling have not made it easier. I am working everyday to get to a point where I can enjoy Harry Potter without J.K. I refuse to let her take away a work of fiction that taught me so much. I am saddened that the author failed to learn what so many of us learnt as children reading her books – love.
Across the Ocean 