So, I’ve been pretty mum about everything regarding J. K. Rowling over the years. My reason for this lies largely with the fact that I am not Trans. Therefore my voice is not the one to be listened to on this matter. Instead of making any personal statements myself, I have focused on spreading Trans voices and commentaries (specifically by retweeting on Twitter).
Up until this point, I do genuinely feel that boosting Trans voices was the best possible way to provide support. With the upcoming release of this new Harry Potter video game, however, I feel there is a little I can add to the conversation.
Some baseline information I think is important here:
- Purchasing this game provides JKR money.
- JKR’s money can (and possibly has — I haven’t done massive research here) support anti-trans agendas.
- There is a direct impact that occurs as a result of supporting someone financially. When you purchase a product from someone, that person can do whatever they want with that money. As a result, any money spent on their products can either directly or indirectly support their ideas and beliefs.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsI’ve had some people dm me asking about this new Harry Potter game, so I’m just going to be straight: we’re past ambiguity here. Rowling has the clout and money to bankroll actual irl anti-trans agendas. If you pay here, that’s where your dollar is going.
— 💀 Miss Gender, Skeleton Enthusiast 💀 (@girldrawsghosts) September 17, 2020
That’s it.
Everyone is going to make this decision on their own. We all, ultimately, decide what we are willing to support and excuse. I will not deny that supporting JKR financially does impact the Trans community in a negative way. This is a fact, plain and simple. It is entirely up to you what you are going to support. And whatever excuses for that support will be made. I’m not here to shame anyone for their decisions.
What Can We Do?
At the end of the day, there is a huge push for people to stop supporting, or cancel, JKR. Supporting her, whether you mean for it to or not, sends the message that you care more about your love of Harry Potter than you do about the negative effects her beliefs have on the world and the Trans community as a whole.
Ultimately, the one thing that we can do on this matter is educate. Every person is going to take whatever knowledge they see and make their own decision at the end of the day. We can provide that information, we can explain our reasons for having issues with JKR. And at that point you kind of just have to hope that people are going to make the decision to not support awful things.
I do, personally, not have much reason to support JKR. I have no plans to, at any point in the future, purchase anything that results in her receiving money. This is a choice that I have made based on the information I have read. With that said, knowing how the world works, I do not have the expectation that everyone follow suit. It would be, unfortunately, quite unrealistic of me.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsTHIS. So much. And honestly? This is how EVERY book should be approached. I have such a problem with the “let people love the books they love” message for this exact reason. Most readers don’t love their books critically. And it’s a huge problem. https://t.co/893savCGcz
— Steff Pasciuti @ Reader Fox 📖 (BLM) (@SPasciuti_) September 15, 2020
So there’s this new video game coming out next year.
All across the internet, I have seen a number of people who have stated that they intend to buy it. This is their choice and I, nor anyone else, can stop them if that is what they decide to do. I can provide information about JKR and the problematic things she has said and done. I can explain how those beliefs she holds will impact the rest of the world. What everyone does with this information is up to them.
To those of you who want to buy this game, I have a suggestion to make. Of course, you do not have to do this as is your right as an autonomous person. However, considering what we all know to be true about JKR and how that can impact the world, supporting her financially does seem like something that will have a negative impact.
If you still find yourself truly needing this game and you still want to, in some vein, have a less negative impact on the Trans community…buy it used. Get together with a group of people and just buy one copy that you can pass along to each other. Yes, she’ll still get money for that one copy. But, if 10 people do this, that’s 9 copies that she isn’t getting money for.
This is Not the Solution I Fully Want
Honestly, I know that solution is not good enough in the eyes of a large number of people. We have a massive amount of Twitter commentary to get this message across. But, with that said, I do think that it is a solution that can, potentially, decrease the negative impact all 10 of those people buying that game might have.
And really, the main reason why I am making this comment in the first place is to say that I understand how difficult it can be to remove a strong emotional attachment you have formed for something. The Harry Potter books shaped an entire generation. It’s one of the only books my father has ever been excited to read. A lot of people have a huge attachment to it.
So, while yes I don’t think purchasing this game is worth it, I recognize that others may still want to. In a perfect world, this wouldn’t be a controversial topic and having things we love wouldn’t be harmful to a group of people. But the fact of the matter is that supporting JKR has the potential to be harmful and that does directly impact our ability to have a thing we love while also supporting the Trans community.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsI have seen people say that NOT buying anything HP or JKR related is supporting the trans community. It’s not support, it’s the bare minimum.
— Esmée 🌈💜 (@ServillasSpeaks) September 17, 2020
Support is when you go watch our videos, read our posts, share our work, and most importantly, listen to us.
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