there's something truly miserable about JK Rowling being, at this point, the most prominent public figure associated with a hate movement but facing effectively no consequences for it because it's an issue that only a small fraction of the population is passionate about.

Like it's one thing if you have someone who's said or done some "problematic" things in the past. It's one thing for a media figure to be beloved by annoying MAGA chuds but despised by anyone even a hint left of center. It's one thing to consume art from someone who was a monsterous bigot in their lifetime but has long since passed.

But with Harry Potter it's just.... nothing. There's not even a conversation to be had. Aside from people who are online enough to care, everyone else just carries on as before. There is no cancelation to come back from, there is no smaller audience the work is restricted to, there is nothing to contend with unless you're friends with a specific kind of person. I still see people on dating apps who put BLM or ACAB or some other progressive slogan in their bios, but list Harry Potter as their favorite books. There is no shame in this. They see no contradiction because to them it is a non-issue.

Rowling is the face of a hate movement and most people who like her work don't even realize it. They don't have to realize it. And if they did, they probably wouldn't understand why what she's saying or doing is wrong.

I think about this every time I see new Harry Potter media coming out. Society does not care enough about people like me to even question if the people who hate us should face consequences for it.

Because even if you personally are not giving her money, by publicly expressing your love of the books you are implicitly endorsing her. The only reason JK Rowling has any measure of power in society, and the only reason people continue to overlook her transphobia, is because of the popularity of Harry Potter. Because of this popularity, Warner Bros will continue to make spinoff media that allows her to grow her fortune and keeps her relevant in the cultural conversation. So long as Harry Potter is, at its core, an Acceptable thing to like, JK Rowling will continue to have that power.

Maybe this would be a different conversation if she was dead and her estate wasn't funding this shit but that's not the world we live in. In the world we live in, Harry Potter should not be a thing that you should be able to admit to liking around anyone who isn't an open transphobe. There needs to be a social stigma, a degree of shame, even, around enjoying Harry Potter. Otherwise, the capitalist machine will simply keep churning and we'll never be rid of Jowling Kowling Rowling regardless of how many picrew avatars send her death threats.

If I can give up Lana Del Rey after 11 years of her being my favorite artist because she made some casually racist remarks in an Instagram post you fuckers can give up Harry Potter because the author is the face of online TERFism.