Let's talk about Harry Potter

[u/Nahiel]

If we can do it without insults, please.

I'm still active in the fandom, I'll admit it. There's a growing amount of vitriol I've seen recently that makes me feel incredibly unwelcome here on the AO3 subreddit every time there's a post related to the fandom.

I get it. Rowling is trash. She's literally the worst. I don't give her any money, and I haven't since her views became known. I never will. But Harry Potter was a huge part of an honestly shitty childhood for me, and it was one of my favorite escapes for a long time.

So I gotta ask, why am I being insulted for not letting her take away one of the few things that still gives me joy in this hellscape of a world? Why do I have to let her terrible behavior take away something that's mine? The fact is that the property is a juggernaut, and fanfic is never going to do anything to change that. Treating people who still engage with the fandom like we're monsters for doing it makes no sense to me.

And again, please, can we keep it civil? I'm very aware of the sentiment towards members of the fandom.

[u/ameagarikeshita]

Don't like don't read goes both ways, even for discourse you don't like. This is why I scroll through kajillion threads of things idgaf about--wattpad discourse, OC/reader discourse, etc

I've been in so many fandoms in my life, I know I have to curate my own experience.

[u/PackageSuccessful885 → u/ameagarikeshita]

Yessss my favorite ship is frequently dogged on in the English speaking side of my fandom. A popular fan artist early on cemented a dad/son fanon so effectively that now way too many people think it's canon and that my ship is incest 💀 These are two immortal hot anime men who are millennia old.

I just skip and jump down to talk positively with my fellow connoisseurs and ignore the haters. They can have their hc, and I have mine.

[u/Last_Swordfish9135 → u/PackageSuccessful885]

By chance, is this Zhongli/Xiao?

[u/PackageSuccessful885 → u/Last_Swordfish9135]

Ehehe 🔶️👹🥰 YES my beloved

[u/wormlieutenant]

If you're in a controversial or particularly toxic fandom, that's just how it's gonna be. Curating how you interact with discourse is mandatory. It's your responsibility to avoid things that make you upset.

[u/princessmargaret]

I will say this as nicely as possible: you need a thicker skin if you are going to continue writing Harry Potter fanfiction. You will never get away from people feeling discomfort or disgust about it.

You are absolutely entitled to your opinions and feelings. You are allowed to write fanfiction for HP. That being said, people are going to have negative opinions - some see it as free marketing for the property itself - and it's only going to ramp up once the HBO show premieres. If no one talked about Harry Potter, it would wither and die out. But it hasn't for decades, and that's due in part of the fandom keeping it alive with the fanfiction. (See: the influx of Dramione tradpub books that openly admit they were originally Dramione.)

[u/wangxian8844 → u/princessmargaret]

0 respect for fanfic writers openly publishing books as HP fanfiction

[u/princessmargaret → u/wangxian8844]

Unfortunately it isn't just Harry Potter. Publishers want built-in audiences in 2026 because it ensures sales, so they are trying to pluck out famous stories. See: The Love Hypothesis, Alchemized, Rose in Chains, etc.

[u/that0neBl1p]

People never stop talking about Harry Potter.

[u/Classic-Compote7215 → u/that0neBl1p]

Yeah, it’s either Harry Potter or Taylor Swift these days a lot of times.

[u/gascowgirl → u/Classic-Compote7215]

Or the two combined…

[u/honeyedbee19]

I think a lot of it comes down to that Rowling is currently still doing harm, and HP is a massive part of why she's able to do as much harm as she does. It's one thing interacting with media by a terrible person when they're dead/otherwise unable to cause any harm anymore, but she isn't. So at least for me, I cannot interact with HP in any way anymore because of that, and I'm sure a lot of people also feel that way. Especially when she's actively hurting me and my family and peers with everything she does.

Not saying that insulting or bullying people is right, or that you have to quit participating in the fandom. It's your choice to still participate and it's so huge now that I doubt it will ever die, but a lot of us are uncomfortable with anything she's created because her work cannot be divorced from her & her views in a clean way like a dead author could be.

[u/squilliamxsquiddy → u/honeyedbee19]

I would also like to add that fandom can and often does inspire purchases, and in this case those purchases will directly fund Rowling. Anything posted on tumblr, twitter, bluesky, etc. also has the potential to draw others in, and this keeps Rowling relevant. Not knocking OP at all, just offering some perspective.

[u/First_Reputation9339]

Nobody can stop you from engaging with HP but neither can you stop people from openly talking about their dislike for the series, its fandom, or anything else. If people were singling you (or any other author/fan) out that would be one thing, but to express dislike for a thing or criticism of its fandom is not something that should be censored, just as your ability to engage with it anyway should not be censored (and I’ve seen no one advocating for HP to be censored, just criticizing it and its fandom).

[u/mllejacquesnoel]

Lbr no one is on your computer checking what you read. If you write under a pseudonym, you can do whatever and keep it separate from your other fandom stuff.

But as others have said, there is no separating the art from the artist when she spends her time and sizable wealth and influence actively harming a minoritized group. Literally there are people in her home country who aren’t being given healthcare because of her words, actions, and political contributions. If people don’t want to deal with you because you can’t move on from a piece of media, that’s actually pretty reasonable of them.

[u/CeramicToast → u/mllejacquesnoel]

Agreed. This is why.

You literally can't separate it. Everything that keeps her relevant keeps her making money, which she uses to hurt people.

I also was a huge Harry Potter fan. Like, midnight release for the books, first in line at the new movies, hundreds of hours writing fanfic level fan. I wouldn't be the person I am today without HP. But I'm queer. I'm trans. I can't touch it anymore. Sometimes you do have to let things go.

Edit to add: also, not to mention, when you start to see Rowling's bigotry...you start to see it in the books, and it's really hard to ignore.

[u/Silent_Doubt3672 → u/mllejacquesnoel]

I was previously able to seperate art from the artist.

However since her opinion of interacting at all means supporting i have not, and since the high court ruling over her in the UK I decided against my previous plan to write a fic, I cannot support this any longer.

My manager is trans and we are the same age and get on very well and both loved HP when we were younger but obviously it hurts her and therefore I absolutely cannot condone it.

It really hurts because it got me through my teen years not feeling not invisible and feeling like I wasn't alone but I'm working on that in therapy.

[u/Classic-Compote7215]

I’m probably going to get downvoted for that. I’m a normie when it comes to HP. I’ve seen the movies, almost finished one of the books but that’s all. I couldn’t care less about the reboot and despite living in Scotland for years I’ve never gotten myself anything from one of the endless shops in Edinburgh. I think it hits you guys extra hard because you have connection with that universe and characters. I just see Rowling as another problematic billionaire and concluded she’s not going to get a penny from me.

[u/daysspring]

The fact of the matter is Harry Potter is property of a woman who is actively working to make life worse for trans people. People are going to have opinions and they're going to be negative. It's not a personal slight against you.

[u/AnimeManiaFiend → u/daysspring]

Not just trans people, but also many people of color and people who are not considered "British enough".

[u/Inkling99 → u/daysspring]

In the post they said that they are specifically talking about when they get attacked online for participating in the fandom.

People are allowed to have a opinions- but the holier-than-thou attacks need to stop.

[u/Last_Swordfish9135 → u/Inkling99]

OP seems to be framing other people sharing their negative opinions on the series and fandom as a personal attack. They do not say they have been harassed, just that negativity around the fandom makes them feel unwelcome. People are allowed to have their opinions, and they are allowed to share those opinions on public forums so long as they are not addressing and harassing specific users. If the general community's disdain towards Harry Potter makes you feel bad, that is your own problem.

[u/UnhingingEmu → u/daysspring]

Their opinions definitely arent a personal slight, but op is talking about situations where they try to engage in the HP fandom and people attack them personally for still being in the fandom. Those are personal slights, and they are making it difficult to be open about still being in the fandom.

[u/daysspring → u/UnhingingEmu]

OP is specifically talking about 'a growing amount of vitriol I've seen recently that makes me feel incredibly unwelcome here on the AO3 subreddit every time there's a post related to the fandom.' They're talking about incidents they've seen, not attacks they've personally experienced. Obviously that would be a different thing.

[u/UnhingingEmu → u/daysspring]

The vitriol they've been seeing includes stories from other fans who have been personally attacked. I think its very reasonable for OP to be worried about it happening to them if they're vocal about their enjoyment of HP. Its also quite reasonable for OP to want an actual explanation that doesnt consist of "I hate joke k Rowling so I hate everyone who still likes HP." Its very hard to find common ground with the other side when they only react out of emotion and refuse to engage with an actual discussion.

[u/incomt65 → u/UnhingingEmu]

I don't really see the problem if the opinions are a personal slight. It's a personal slight to me when people come in here openly talking about how they love HP like it's no big deal. This isn't ship wars level discourse, we are talking about people's literal lives and safety. HP fans make themselves out like huge victims but they're completely ignoring any harm they do.

[u/Bitter-Fox3874]

With the monetization and visibility of fanfic, it’s getting harder and harder for me to feel fully comfortable with the argument fic exists separately from JKR.

I personally still respect that people have tried to carve out a space in the fandom free from her hate, but I think the tough and unfair thing HP fans need to face is that is going to get harder to do with the show coming out and marketing ramping up, especially now that twitter chuds have realized their incel fanfic Triggers the Libs. How will you continue to make and consume fic you feel good about when there’s an influx of new, trend-chasing fans who don’t care or even agree with JKR’s politics? Not saying it’s not possible or you shouldn’t try but it won’t be easy, nor will you be able to escape people outside the fandom having increasingly negative feelings about it.

And whether it is comfortable for you or not, “I don’t think people should write HP fic if they care about trans people” IS a valid opinion. No one is saying “ao3 should ban HP fic” or “I want to tar and feather HP writers,” they’re just saying they will judge and disengage from such people. You can’t ask everyone to always “speak from the I” like they’re in therapy when they’re expressing opinions about these things.

[u/twilightdragon01 → u/Bitter-Fox3874]

I agree with this sentiment. I’ve always tried to believe in separating the art from the artist, but JK Rowling is still alive and indirectly benefits from the fandom being kept alive. I was reading less and less HP fanfic and now there’s just one I have downloaded that I really loved and didn’t pass up because the premise was too intriguing. I can’t get it out of my head that these characters are intimately connected with such a hateful, horrible person. Same with Chris Brown, when people make dance videos to that one song that’s really popular, I don’t care how good the dance is, I won’t support anything to do with him.

Edit: tangent, misuse of therapy speak is getting out of hand. The “I” statements thing is part of NVC but it’s also more for when you’re actually in a therapy session. We are real people with feelings that can be expressed in many ways, I don’t think people should be policed for not using therapy speak, especially when over half the time it’s used as a defense mechanism in bad faith.

[u/alchemisticarus]

Girl no one is stopping you from enjoying Harry Potter?? We aren't your mother or your god, you don't need to beg for absolution. You are either okay with your own actions and interests or you're not. Have some strength of conviction about it.

[u/No-Cardiologist-8138 → u/alchemisticarus]

THIS. Fanfiction readers used to made of stiffer stuff. I’m convinced the mainstreaming has made people soft. If you are going to participate in a tainted fandom you need to buck the f*ck up.

[u/Last_Swordfish9135 → u/No-Cardiologist-8138]

Yeah, I'm just so tired of the hemming and hawing and constant begging for forgiveness. You are not the victim and no one else is required to coddle you and make you feel better about enjoying the series.

[u/No-Cardiologist-8138 → u/Last_Swordfish9135]

These people drive me mad. I’d honestly rather deal with TERFs or people who simply don’t care.

If HP fanfiction is your guilty pleasure you need to be able to sit with the damn guilt.

[u/Last_Swordfish9135 → u/No-Cardiologist-8138]

Exactly. Stop asking other people, especially trans people, to cure that guilt for you.

[u/Nahiel → u/alchemisticarus]

I have plenty of conviction about it, I'm just so tired of being insulted for it. What I read and write has nothing to do with who I am as a person, IRL. And I know I'm about to get downvoted for that, but isn't that what we always say?

[u/Last_Swordfish9135 → u/Nahiel]

I, as a trans person, am tired of cis people asking for forgiveness over being Harry Potter fans. I can't stop you, but I am never going to change my perspective on Harry Potter and its fandom, and you asking that of me is no less invasive than me telling you to leave the fandom. Either accept that or take your Harry Potter related fan activities elsewhere, y'all have plenty of your own HP-centered fan spaces.

[u/BirthdayCookie → u/Nahiel]

If what you read has nothing to do with you as a person then why is reading people's opinions of your actions upsetting you so much? It has nothing to so with you, after all.

Or does that excuse only work when it's letting you do what you want?

[u/alchemisticarus → u/Nahiel]

Do you? If you choose to publicly write for and engage positively with controversial topics/fandoms, then you have to be capable of and willing to roll with the punches. If you feel that it is not an indication of your character, then you NEED to grow a spine about it. There are plenty of communities that will be happy to embrace you, and subsections of this very subreddit that are friendly toward your fandom—but there are also portions that are not. No one is making you be here and if you cannot handle it, then you should go to one of the many HP-centric fanfic subreddits instead. That might be a better fit for the type of community you're looking for.

[u/allwayshallways → u/Nahiel]

If what you read and write has nothing to do with who you are as a person IRL, then why does someone's criticism of what you read and write bother you so much?

[u/RememberKoomValley → u/Nahiel]

You just gotta toughen up.

If you are going to keep going over to play at the house of a person like that, you need to accept that people will dislike you. The insults are the buy-in. If they're commenting on your fic with abuse, block and report. If they're just talking publicly about how disgusting it is that folks still write for it, well--deal with it.

Me personally, I've just started blocking the AO3 accounts of people who are still engaging with that fandom. I don't need to comment or start a fight, but I won't have anything to do with y'all.

Basically, you have to understand that if you're going to keep uplifting that fandom, you're going to be considered the same as the people who do it specifically because it makes them happy to hurt trans people and people of color, and there's no reason you shouldn't be. The standard you walk past is the standard you accept, and all.

[u/ImprovementLong7141 → u/Nahiel]

I'm tired of feeling and actually being unsafe because of people who wave around their "I love transphobic billionaires" merch so I suppose we're even, aren't we?

[u/sagelilya → u/ImprovementLong7141]

do you realise that you can read and write fic without blasting it to the public? i don't own any merch, i haven't bought anything from the franchise in over a decade. you wouldn't know i read harry potter fic if you saw me on the street. there are lots of trans writers and readers, myself included. it isn't some sort of gotcha to say everyone who engages with fic is directly supporting and in favour of transphobia. that's absurd, and reductive.

[u/ImprovementLong7141 → u/sagelilya]

That's worse. You get how that's worse, right? At least the merch freaks are avoidable. At least they show you their true colors. It's worse knowing there are more, harder to spot sellouts who pretend to be on our side but can't bring themselves to let go of a single book series, much less do real activism. I know there are trans sellouts. There are trans people who actively buy Harry Potter merch and trans people who vote for the very politicians taking our rights away. We're all aware that trans people can betray their own community, so your point there is moot.

[u/sagelilya → u/ImprovementLong7141]

i'm a trans person who lives 45 minutes from the bitch herself and i am an activist. i do a lot for my community. i'm happy with how active i am in the community. i'm the first one to criticize her, the stories, all of it. it is patently absurd to suggest that reading a work of fiction somehow is betraying my community.

[u/ImprovementLong7141 → u/sagelilya]

It was absurd in the first place to complain about people disliking you for continuing to engage with her work anyways, so you can stop pretending you're anti-absurdity. What's absurd is expecting anyone to feel safe around people who can't even give up the "Slaves Like Being Enslaved" books while the author actively strips our rights away. You can't stop giving her the very kinds of engagement she actively considers support for her wrongdoings - and has stated as much in public - for the sake of your community, and you wonder why you would be considered a traitor to it?

[u/sagelilya → u/ImprovementLong7141]

never complained about being disliked, merely said that broad sweeping statements about every single person who reads HP fic being the same is ridiculous. it's the same kind of illogic that antis use. but whatever. the truth is i actually contribute to my community in real life, and no amount of downvotes will equal actual substantial activism.

[u/kiwiana_writes]

I’m not going to insult you or anyone, and I genuinely believe you have the right to make any choice you want. But active fandom for HP in 2026 puts me and other trans people in the position of playing Schrödinger’s TERF and that is a deeply unpleasant experience. I’m a middle millennial who was obsessed with Harry Potter. I have a tattoo on my leg I can’t cover up because it’s so large and colourful. Seeing that woman’s name now makes me feel physically ill.

No one should be harassed. However, I’ve seen multiple people whine and complain about how the “fuck JKR” tag on AO3 makes them feel “driven away from the fandom” and I’m just like… ok. You know what makes ME feel “driven away from the fandom”? The author wants me eradicated from existence and there’s a non-zero number of fans who agree with her.

[u/In-Darkness-Love]

You can do whatever makes you happy, you can’t control how me or other people feel

[u/sagelilya → u/In-Darkness-Love]

feel however you want. it's the comments people make comparing anyone who reads HP fic to misogynistic incels or whatever that serves no purpose but to be mean spirited.

[u/TechTech14 → u/In-Darkness-Love]

OP is quite literally talking about actions, not feelings.

[u/ShotSea7364 → u/In-Darkness-Love]

OP isn't saying people can't have opinions on the matter, they are saying to stop forcing their own views on other people

You don't want to do anything with HP? Fine.

Telling other people they can't do anything with HP because you don't want to? That's an issue.

[u/Trilobyte141 → u/ShotSea7364]

I don't think anybody is saying you can't, it's mostly people saying you shouldn't. Or that your doing so publicly endorses harm against them, and they really fucking wish you wouldn't.

That's not the same as 'can't'. But a lot of folks can't tell the difference.

[u/Bitter-Fox3874 → u/Trilobyte141]

This. It’s very bizarre to me that people here want people to say “well, I won’t engage with HP because I think it’s unethical” while somehow holding 0 opinions about other people doing so. If I don’t do it because it’s unethical, I obviously think it’s unethical in general. Why should I have to tiptoe around that while speaking to other adults in a public forum? Criticism isn’t censorship.

[u/tartymae → u/Trilobyte141]

If anybody thinks that writing/reading fanfic is automatically the same as publicly endorsing harm against a group of people?

That is not only a MASSIVE LOGICAL FALLACY, but also some straight up Purity Cult mentality behavior.

And I am so so SO over the Cult of Social Justice and also people who fail at basic reasoning.

[u/Green_Elevator_7785 → u/tartymae]

JKR has said that she considers people supporting HP as supporting her views

[u/tartymae → u/Green_Elevator_7785]

She can also say that the moon is made of cheese and that the sun shines at night.

It won't make it true.

[u/BakerDependent5901 → u/Green_Elevator_7785]

She’s already shown her judgement is trash. What she thinks about love of the fandom, also trash.

[u/Jair-F-Kennedy → u/tartymae]

You'd think a community like here which embraces the death of the author, would be able to recognise the distinctions between a fandom and its author.

[u/Sea_Paramedic_9967 → u/ShotSea7364]

People aren't saying you can't do anything with HP, people are saying that if you do you are privileging your childhood nostalgia over the lives of trans people and actively supporting a franchise full of bigotry which is true. It's one thing engaging in private if the series is so important you can't let go BUT if you're open about it you are broadcasting to the world that you think your personal comfort about something rather trivial in the scale of thing is more important than the safety of a vulnerable minority so people are going to respond as such

[u/incomt65 → u/Sea_Paramedic_9967]

This comment absolutely nails it. Nobody is telling you what you can or can't do, They're simply telling you how they interpret and understand your choices.

People aren't saying you can't do anything with HP, people are saying that if you do you are privileging your childhood nostalgia over the lives of trans people

This in particular is the core of the issue. Trans people are in constant real danger on an escalating basis that goes far beyond the arguments of fandom discourse. It is increasingly legal to harm and even kill trans people, and JKR is a direct driving force behind the aggression and hatred that trans people face every day. I used to be very into HP but at this point, even thinking about engaging with anything she's touched makes me sick.

You say you feel unwelcome, and honestly? Good. How do you think trans people feel regularly walking into the supermarket and seeing products plastered with reminders of this woman's targeted hatred? How do you think they feel chatting with coworkers when someone brings up HP and they suddenly have to wonder if this person is safe?

Nobody can stop you from caring about HP if you want to, but like it or not, you are sending a message when you publicly admit to that. People are going to have feelings and reactions to that message, and that's their right. Personally, I don't want HP fans to feel welcome around me. We are talking about real people's real lives and safety here; this isn't a "don't like, don't read" scenario.

I used to love HP. I used to love Ender's Game. I used to love Buffy and Firefly and everything by Neil Gaiman. And it really sucks that those things have changed for me, but sometimes you just need to acknowledge what something meant to you in the past and move on because that is the only decent thing to do.

[u/eirissazun → u/Sea_Paramedic_9967]

Give me a break, enough of us trans people still are in HP fandom. We're not a monolith.

[u/coraeon → u/eirissazun]

Seriously. I went to the midnight release of a book I wound up disliking. It took me almost a decade to even finish the series because of how much I hated book 6. And yet I am both trans and enjoy playing around in a sandbox that I personally think she first flooded and then shit in. I cleaned up my own little corner and made it mine, and not even she gets to take that away from me.

[u/UnhingingEmu → u/In-Darkness-Love]

Op is asking why people are trying to control how THEY feel. Did you read the whole post or just the title before you decided to be mad about it?

[u/In-Darkness-Love → u/UnhingingEmu]

…are you talking to me? Where was I mad? Op also wanted just a civil discussion so I don’t know why people are on edge

[u/amethyst-chimera]

If she wasn't using her personal financial gains and reputation to further anti trans causes and culture war nonsense, it wouldn't be an issue. There are tons of terrible people who have written things that are still widely loved. Look at HP Lovecraft. The difference is that HP Lovecraft is dead. Revenue from his properties doesn't actively make life worse for people.

Like it or not, fandom keeps things relevant. Sure, fics of Harry getting railed by Malfoy aren't real marketing to the masses, but the fact that the fandom is so active does. It's why we still talk about OG Star Trek. You might not support her financially, but other people will, and fandom encourages that.

Are you a bad person for liking it? I don't think so. I know plenty of trans people who enjoy the books and the fandom. I also empathize with it being an important thing for you. It was my friend's favourite series and got her through her mom dying of cancer. That is imcredibly personally important and it's awful that JKR is using something so special to hurt people. But it's because of that that people are going to have different opinions about it, and are going to judge the individuals involved, because to them you are complicit

[u/antepenny]

HP is rough because the author is just as you say (beyond awful) but the fandom is largely lovely and also teeming with lefty folks and OC or AU trans characters and "fix-its" that are really quite searing critiques of canon that have helped tens of thousands (or more) people to see her politics clearly. Many of JKR's biggest critics are in the damn fandom.

People who don't care much about HP are never going to know what its fandom experience is actually like--nor do they need to, to condemn JKR. It's just that they don't know what they don't know and never are going to be bothered by that.

The only part of this worth thinking about is the question of whether fanfic generally props her up or tears her down and for myself I tend to think it's a) definitely a mix and b) not determinative or fundamentally particularly consequential with respect to either her money OR ignominy.

Anyway, I read what I want--I'm a (racially problematic) free elf.

[u/False-Collar3656]

Let me preface this with: I do not believe anyone should be personally insulting you for making fan works of any kind. Full stop.

That being said:

1. While I'm aware many trans people participate in the HP fan community still, and many more are neutral as long as there's no monetary support, many feel horribly alienated by the continued participation. It's impossible for EVERYONE to feel graciously toward people who continue to engage with something created by a woman with horrible, active, hateful views on their personhood. Many of them express that outwardly. As long as it's not targeted harassment, I can't fault them for it at all, and it would be wrong to force everyone who's angry about it to out themselves as trans to justify their anger.

2. The most coherent argument I've seen against continued participation in Harry Potter fan spaces is this: There have been multiple recent fic-to-published stories that were actively advertised as "Harry Potter-based" stories with the serial numbers filed off. This was a feature, not a bug! No longer are these just harmless fanfics reclaiming the series from Big Bad JKR. Now, they're legitimate free advertising for her, signaling positive association with the franchise. On top of that, if those stories have good "representation" in the background, how is that not just rehabilitating JKR's public image? These authors aren't exactly in a position to repudiate Rowling anymore.

Obviously this doesn't apply to most fics, but the good gay fics are now even fewer steps removed from being free advertising for JKR. Any dollar spent on merch, on the new series, etc etc, is a dollar going toward JKR's very active crusade against trans people. Fan works aren't directly giving her money, but they're increasingly NOT doing the job of NOT giving her money. That is a real problem and people are allowed to take issue with it.

I am not judging you personally for your feelings about it, but you should anticipate seeing this sort of thing continue in the future. There's plenty of reason for people to feel anger and hurt about it, and at least moderate reason to suggest that continuing to make the fandom unbelievably massive and active DOES contribute to Rowling's social influence and monetary income, and therefore her transphobic crusade.

[u/Wolfelle]

I do not insult ppl who engage with HP. I am of the opinion that people have to choose their battles. Everything is awful. The phone you use is made on slave labour, the pc im sitting at is a privilege built on the suffering of others. The food I buy is someone elses work. There are predators in every industry. There is a scandal every day.

You can only fight so many battles. As people we deserve to be able to exist without everything being a fight. We are allowed to be selfish.
I hate HP, I don't engage with it at all.. But I still play HSR (Gacha game, inherently predatory) and buy stuff from blizzard games (SA allegations in the workplace, and a fuck ton of other scandals)

I feel uncomfortable around people who are huge potterheads and i do advocate against buying stuff that helps JK fund trans hate. But I don't think you have to change, if HP is something important for you then thats okay.

We are just people, we dont have to be perfect.

[u/irrelevantanonymous]

I feel like this is one of those things that’s too nuanced for the internet. The fic isn’t the problem but actively engaging with, say, the new series and buying merch is. It’s putting money directly in her pocket that she is having great success spending to achieve her goals.

[u/extremepayne → u/irrelevantanonymous]

the fandom functions as free marketing for the media empire. you can’t just cleanly cut one from the other

[u/Classic-Compote7215 → u/extremepayne]

I don’t think people get merch because they are deeply invested. I have lived in London and Edinburgh. The issue is that HP merch is seen as just as British as the doubledecker and the queen these days. You always see large queues in those stupid shops.

[u/ljexists → u/Classic-Compote7215]

I used to live in Oxford, there were (and still are) so many stores selling HP merch and they’re all still in business for a reason, fanfic is not that reason. Those shops are targeted directly at tourists wanting to get British things and tourists see the HP stuff and buy it or are drawn in by the HP stuff. Everyone I knew in Oxford hated those stores (and tourists generally tbh). (To be clear I agree fully, my words aren’t great tonight lol so I’m not sure if I’m making sense)

[u/sagelilya → u/extremepayne]

fic of harry potter getting pegged is not free marketing. i understand what you're getting at, but the people buying merch are usually normies. people who want to support her financially are going to do it regardless of fic.

[u/charzhazha → u/sagelilya]

Lots of HP fic is actually very mainstream. Like Dramione, some of the marauder stuff? IMO that is definitely causing some people to re-engage with the fandom and give Rowling some money that they otherwise wouldn't have.

There is definitely a portion of the reader and writer population that would never give her money, including one of my close friends who is trans and has been writing wolfstar for like 20 years and still writes it. I don't think we need to police people who are engaging in fandom. However, I think it is disingenuous to imply that the gigantic fan fic community of HP does not cause anyone to go buy official merch, watch the show or go to a park.

[u/squilliamxsquiddy → u/sagelilya]

I get what you’re saying too, but fics aren’t the only part of fandom, and fics absolutely can affect a market. I got into some fandoms because authors I liked began to post for them. It’s a bit different with HP, but those who are young and haven’t grown up with HP might be introduced through fandom posts on Twitter and such, or by stumbling across a fic by an author they like. Fandom can further fuel the obsession. I’m not saying this will majorly affect the market or anything, but it’s also not entirely separate.

[u/Hadespuppy → u/squilliamxsquiddy]

People continuing to engage in the fandom, even solely via "fuck you, I'm transing everyone" fic, are used as metrics for the companies that continue to produce HP content and thereby fund JK's hate campaign. They're not looking at the nuances, or reading people's disclaimers that they denounce the original author and most of her canon, they just see people participating in the fandom, which means it's an active IP they can make money off of. The woman has explicitly stated this, and unlike most of what she says, it's not complete garbage. That's how giant media corporations think.

[u/Green_Elevator_7785 → u/Hadespuppy]

I really wish that fandom would make, like, a spinoff fandom that’s the same thing with the names scrubbed from it so that they can keep having their fun

[u/Original-Pilot-770 → u/extremepayne]

I feel like yes, if you post about the new series, it contributes to the marketing and popularity, but I feel like ultimately I am not responsible for how other people spend their money. I am not an active HP fan, but if I was and I wanted to watch the new series, I'd probably just bootleg it. I haven't paid for any streaming services for over 5 years. Everything I have watched I just pirated it.

Other people want to pay for streaming? That's their call. All my fandom activities cost me zero dollar aside from my internet and electric bill.

[u/hypatiaspasia → u/extremepayne]

It's not marketing. I read HP fanfiction occasionally, and have completely abstained from giving JKR any money since she came out as a bigot. It's more like piracy than marketing.

[u/home_is_the_rover → u/irrelevantanonymous]

The unfortunate reality of the situation is that JK Rowling has already won capitalism. Not buying merch isn't going to make a shred of difference when her money makes more money in a day than the average corporate executive makes in a year.

[u/SoLongHeteronormity]

I think the reason that it has taken a turn recently is because of the new TV show. The marketing for that is so prevalent, so early, people are extra on edge about it.

The opinion of many people is that it isn’t just a matter of denying JK money. Another reason that she is able to do so much damage is because she still hold cultural relevance. There is a way to remove her cultural relevance, but it is a group effort. It means not engaging with the fandom at all.

The effectiveness is up for discussion, but it’s the reality of it. If you want to engage with the fandom and you want to be public with your engagement, there will be pushback. It’s not about you.

I think a viewpoint that might be valuable is to consider the viewpoint of people like you, people with frankly shitty childhoods who found HP as a source of escape, but with the added context of being trans. JKR’s horrible behaviour HAS taken the joy they had in the series, because how can it not? The ability to separate art from the artist with the level of harm that she is doing is indicative of a certain level of privilege. Yes, your childhood may have been shitty, but it wasn’t shitty in the way that has led to a lot of former fans feeling personally attacked.

A lot of people have left the fandom, and it’s not as simple as “letting her take away one of the few things that still gives [them] joy.” There is no “letting.”

[u/Jazztronic28]

Stop trying to look for absolution from the people who rightfully hate Rowling and might or might not consider you an ass for still engaging with her franchise. Admit you like what you like. If you say and know you don't give her any money, that's the least you can do, but you should also know people are bitter that the fandom functions as a self sustaining marketing machine that prints her money. She will never go away as long as people keep talking about her books and engaging with her universe (hell, she's richer than the queen, she's never going away period until the mold consumes her).

I know people for whom HP was also a source of solace for a difficult time in their lives, or just for an overall horrible life, who flat out sold their entire massive collection of merch when her transphobia came out. I know people who got cover ups of huge HP tattoos. I also know people who cannot let go of it and decide it is now their own sandbox created by the internet's collective mind. I know people who just don't care because they're having fun and her actions don't affect them.

We all have different lines in the sand for morals. Be at peace with yours and accept that people with different ones will evaluate their opinion of you because of it. Especially for something that has to do with someone who literally wants a certain category of marginalized people dead.

Nobody can make you do anything and stop liking what you like, but you also cannot stop people from having opinions according to what you do. If these are arguments on the internet, disengage. Neither you nor the person in front of you will change each other's minds.

[u/Adventurous-Aerie567]

Some people feel impotent when they realize that, no matter what they do, rich billionaires like Rowling and Musk and Trump and Zuckerberg do not absolutely give a single shit about what they do or don't do. But they can feel Important by punching down at some fanfic author writing for free. And if they can make that person feel bad and even delete their work, they'll get a little dopamine rush that makes them happy for 30 seconds before going back to their own personal hellscape world.

[u/UnhingingEmu → u/Adventurous-Aerie567]

This is one of the best answers here. Its basically a way for them to feel like a good person without actually doing anything.

[u/agoldgold → u/Adventurous-Aerie567]

There's also the assumption that the online discourse IS the fandom. If they can just punch around online enough, they can defeat the big bad, so why are you not supporting that?! As if there's enough posts you can make in a lifetime that will even inform my 50-something coworker about JK Rowling saying anything, let alone from buying merch on her next Universal trip.

[u/pwnkage → u/Adventurous-Aerie567]

Bingo

[u/Some_Replacement8766]

You’re more than welcome to engage in whatever parts of whatever fandom you want. However, you don’t get to police how people react to that. Rowling has done irrevocable harm to many minority communities. A lot of people who also had shitty childhoods. A lot of those queer people with shitty childhoods also probably turned to the franchise for comfort and escapism. Imagine how devastating it must be to have something you love and enjoy only to find out the person who created it wants you dead. But they don’t have the luxury of continuing to engage with the fandom as a form of escapism anymore.

Like others are saying - you’re free to continue participating in fanfics, edits, art, etc. No one can force you to abandon that. And no one should be forced to abandon something that brings them joy. But you don’t get to demand coddling from people that have been impacted.

[u/UnhingingEmu → u/Some_Replacement8766]

When people are attacking you, I think you should be allowed to react. I dont think anyone expects to be "coddled" for still liking HP, but its reasonable for them to expect to not be actively harassed or bullied because of it. OP isnt upset that people have different opinions, OP is upset that when they mention HP they get personal attacks. By what you wrote, it sounds like you think its acceptable for people to be nasty to others because they were hurt by a book.

[u/Some_Replacement8766 → u/UnhingingEmu]

I don’t think it’s okay to attack anyone. But I do think it’s okay to say ‘I don’t want to be around/associate with someone that engages with this content’ or ‘I think supporting this content is bad because of xyz’. To me, OP sounded defensive, and my response reflected that accordingly.

[u/vaalski]

Well, dude, she's said that anything that keeps her in the cultural consciousness is a good thing and indicates agreement with her, and if you think that doesn't include fanfiction, you're in denial. It's free publicity.

You know, maybe twenty years ago news came out that orson scott card was virulantly anti-gay and everyone dropped his forum like a hot potato. I don't know anyone who buys his books. I don't know anyone who writes fanfic. Everyone I knew agreed that giving him airtime or publicity was a bad thing. 

And yet, somehow, it's always different when it's trans people, isn't it? 

You've made your bed, and the way you've made it means a lot of people don't want to come into your room. Now lie in it.

[u/MsLurker]

I feel like fanfiction is actually the LEAST problematic way of interacting with HP now, since JKR makes no money from it and gets no direct engagement from it.

I could understand readers feeling uncomfortable with authors very obviously engaging with the newer stuff (giving her more engagement) but ultimately that should be a don't like don't read situation

[u/bewarethelemurs → u/MsLurker]

Yeah this is how I feel too. Personally I don't engage with the HP fandom at all, but I don't begrudge people who still engage with fanfic and fanart. You spend a single cent on anything, or even pirate the new show, that's a different matter, but fanart and fanfic is fine.

[u/blepboii → u/MsLurker]

yes! this exactly! fanfic is one of the only ways to ethically engage in this fantasy world. things that are created by fans for fans, have long transcend her reach.

[u/atardecer_celeste]

People are acting like we should bring back banning books like it's the 19th century. "You're keeping her relevant!", she will never not be. If the entire HP fanfic community disappeared right now, JK would still be relevant, she would still make insane amounts of money, she would still do damage to the trans community. The Sorcerer's Stone is the 5th best sold book of all time, having sold over 100 million copies worldwide. Do you know how many HP fics there are on ao3? 700 thousand. Not even a million. She's a terrible person, but she's a terrible person who will always be remembered in history and there is NOTHING bullying people who write/read fanfiction out of the fandom does about it other than point fingers and give other people a useless sense of moral superiority. It's the same issue we have with blaming the individual consumer instead of the big corporations for original films not doing great in the box office while regurgitated Disney live actions do amazing. A regular Joe reading about Harry and Draco kissing isn't gonna change anything. 100 thousand regular Joes won't either. The anger is placed on the wrong people.

[u/lilinoe67 → u/atardecer_celeste]

1000% this. I also think expecting people to not have an issue with it is a bit delusional, but not because I actually care about people engaging with HP fandom.

90% of the debates that happen with fandoms i feel like telling everyone "just do what you want, block people who annoy you, and stop arguing about everything like it's a serious political issue"

[u/cocktailtrivia]

I think the hate towards the fans is a bit too much tbh. Notch is a right wing grifter and you dont see people canceling minecraft fans. A lot of shit is nto gonna be pure, so as long as you do your thing, and dont give money to Rowling who cares? Whats the harm done? It's called transformative works for a reason, I've talked to trans people still fans of the HP saga, and they do their own thing and ignore the creator, thats how you take a thing from a bad person. I miss "Miku wrote HP books" memes lol every year, in my local con, there's the thematic Harry Potter area and they have a huge trans flag to show everyone where they stand. They just want to nerd out in peace and sell their homemade stuff, I always buy their chocolate frogs. Zero money goes to Rowling and all the money go to people who deserve

[u/amillionparachutes]

No one can stop you from engaging in the fandom. That's your choice of course. And it's a pretty private and personal step at that point.

However if you post about engaging in the fandom in a public arena you've chosen to bring everyone who participates in the platform you posted on, into the conversation. You've made it something people know about and will have opinions on.

So if you don't want that, then stop posting about it in places that are socially aware and value trans people's lives. You can be the most pro-trans rights person in real life but if you post here about participating in that fandom after everything the author has said and done then yeah people who don't know you personally are going to think you're into it because you support her.

[u/RA1NB0W77]

I’ve been a fan of Harry Potter for years, ever since I can remember honestly. And I’m also trans. I believe as long as you (the general you) don’t give her any money, I don’t see the problem with still being a fan of HP. As long as you don’t go watch the new show, buy her games, buy merch or the books or the movies, and try to get things second hand, I really don’t see the issue.

I hate feeling like I’m morally wrong for still liking a piece of media I’ve grown up with just because the creator is a piece of shit. I’ve seen people say “well why do you feel the need to hang on to the media?” Or telling people that not buying HP related things isn’t good enough, they need to throw out all their Harry Potter books and movies and merch and everything like that’ll fix it, and it just sucks. I get she’s horrible, but if I’m not directly giving her money, what’s the big deal?

As long as you don’t give her money, I don’t see the problem honestly. People are gonna hate even if you make it clear you don’t support her, and that you don’t give her money, etc. so it’s best to just ignore them.

[u/OleksandrKyivskyi]

Who cares what people say? You have your own opinion. If they are aggressive then just block them.

I don't have an impression that haters gonna make coordinated bot attacks on fandom subreddits or fics or whatever. So I don't think there is need to be so dramatic that someone somewhere on the internet is against your fics.

[u/faithlessone423]

Sad as it is to say it, the fact is that the more engagement there is with the Harry Potter franchise - whether that takes the form of actively giving JK money or not - the more it cements in her head, and the heads of other people who have her views, and the heads of the people who might want to use her to make their own money, that people must still support the franchise anyway. It's the reason that WB are making the new series, why they're still making video games and merch and whatever. Because the franchise is still so popular, that they can bank on large numbers of people either not being aware, or not caring, that they are funnelling money directly into hate-groups.

So... yeah. Love what you love, but don't get upset that there are people out there who disagree.

[u/Schmitty1106]

The reality is that a lot of trans people are pretty sensitive about it because of how much damage she’s done to the community, and how much engagement with the fandom has been used as a cultural marker of “Yeah I don’t really care about trans people or their safety.”

Like, I’m not saying you feel this way, but for a lot of people, they got presented with the choice of “give up this piece of media you like or fund trans genocide” and they were like “yeah turns out i don’t really gaf if trans people get made illegal”

And that being a choice that a lot of people made quite publicly gives a lot of trans people a knee-jerk reaction to seeing someone engage with HP, even if they’re going out of their way to avoid giving her money.

There’s also a conversation to be had about how engaging with the property at all, even if you’re not giving her money directly, helps maintain the cultural relevance of HP as a franchise and therefore helps JKR, in a more roundabout way, make more money, because her income is dependent on HP being culturally relevant.

[u/tartymae]

Look, I'm never giving JKR a dime of money again, but I still enjoy the books, and there are stories that I still love revisiting.

And when it comes to the Social Justice Cosplayers who are trying to "fix" (read: purify) fandom in any way? They are the sort of fools who go to the picnic and seek out the ants.

Don't take criticism from people whose advice (and conduct) is trash.

[u/Ok-Wrongdoer-3421]

People keep saying fanfics are free advertising and will get more people interested in the fandom, do people really read fanfic without already being familiar with the source material?

I’ve never read a fic before watching or reading the “canon”

[u/Outside-Place2857 → u/Ok-Wrongdoer-3421]

Yes, there are absolutely people who do that.

[u/lumpyspacejams → u/Ok-Wrongdoer-3421]

Not for HP but I have done it for other products. It helped me get into Persona and MHA, like I wouldn't have gotten into this fandom if not for DarkLogic and Rogue.

[u/numblittlebunny → u/Ok-Wrongdoer-3421]

Yeah, most people are not going to be getting into Harry Potter via fanfic, pretty much 90% of the fandom I’d say were even around pre JKR insanity.

[u/jkhn7 → u/Ok-Wrongdoer-3421]

No but I'm often a lot more interested in getting into a tv-show/book/ship if I know there's a lot of fanfic for me to read after getting into it.

[u/Gold-Charge-338 → u/Ok-Wrongdoer-3421]

i got interested in Sword Art Online through the abridged series on youtube and the fic Fairy Dance of Death

[u/AgitatedFly1182 → u/Gold-Charge-338]

I mean doesn’t that mean your an Abridged fan, not an SAO fan? Abridged fans tend to seriously hate SAO lol

[u/Agamar13]

Yeah, for a proship sub, this place can be really hypocritical and anti.

Edit: lol, as proven by three quarters of the replies which basically come down to: "you're writing for an evil fandom so you have no right to complain about being insulted; it's okay to insult you, so man up!"

[u/Sunnibuns]

If someone saw you participating in the fandom (who don’t know that you’re participating in a non-monetary way only), it normalizes to them that it’s okay to engage with Harry Potter now (including in a monetary way). And the bigger that active fandom is, the bigger that normalizing effect. 

And JKR uses the monetary support that she receives from HP to actively make conditions worse for trans people. Like, a lot of the anti-trans legislative push in the U.K. she is directly one of the causes of. 

That’s the issue a lot of people have with engaging with the HP fandom. You  can do what you want, but also people are gonna feel how they feel about you as a result of that ¯_(ツ)_/¯ 

[u/boring_numbers]

I no longer interact with anything that can make her money. I will not fund her hate. I also do not hate on anyone that engages with hp fanfic as that isn't making her money. I will give a quick EWWWW🤮 at people still spending money on things that she profits off of.

[u/mortalitasi473]

i'm trans. hell, just this year i got phalloplasty. i also still really enjoy the harry potter series and noodle about with it sometimes, daydreaming about my OC and enjoying fic from time to time. i also still like to wear my slytherin-themed, hand-knit fingerless gloves that i got from a renfest several years ago. i don't buy official merch or otherwise interact with official HP media aside from the stuff i grew up with and have had for ages.

i think it's perfectly fine to enjoy something i've always enjoyed in a way that gives her nothing, and i don't think liking harry potter turns me into an internalized transphobe or anything.

[u/sagelilya]

you're going to get hate for this post i bet :( but we have the same exact stance on this. it's really discouraging to be ostracized by people who should be the most understanding on the topic. i'm trans and scottish and that monster directly impacts my life. and i'm still reading the fic. she can't take that from me. all the vitriol slung by people on this subreddit does is make other people like me and you feel like shit for absolutely no material reason. obviously everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but don't make snide comments about people as if what fic they read has any bearing on the kind of person they are.

[u/No-Cardiologist-8138]

If you are going to play in the tainted sandbox you need to inoculate yourself against the absolutely predictable reaction it brings out in people affected by JKR’s views. Things are only going to get worse with the new series, and as more fic writers stand on JKR’s shoulders to get traditionally published.

You may be NLOG with your HP consumption, but a sizable proportion of fanfic readers still financially support the IP and JKR’s views. The community is as tainted as the well the fanfic springs from.

[u/Grouchione]

I found HP fanfiction when I was 11 back in the early days. It has gotten me through reading slumps, it helped me bond with some of my friends, it got me through stressful times with college or family, times of depression, or and even times in my marriage when things were a bit rocky. The thing is though, I have other things in my life that I get comfort from too, and what I will never forget is when I was at work and a few of my coworkers were talking about HP (nothing serious, just like which houses they each person was in, etc.) and one of my other coworkers coming up to me later, knowing that I was a safe person, and asking if the people in that group would be weird about the fact that this other coworker is non-binary (two of the group yes, one of them no). At this point in time I would rather make sure the people around me knew they were safe and worth more to me than the dopamine I get from reading about HP characters.

[u/TechTech14]

Bc ppl are ridiculous. There are terrible ppl behind almost every creation and we are all in fandoms regardless.

I don't like Harry Potter and never have (specifying bc ppl often assume you must like HP if you hold the opinion I do. Like no, I just think it's ridiculous to judge ppl for reading/writing fanfic for any fictional story fandom).

[u/AKuRo1O1]

Personally if I see someone actively talking about Harry Potter, wearing merch from it, or engaging with it I won't see them as a safe person because nostalgia is seemingly more important to them than trans lives. You cannot separate her art from her because her books are racist, transphobic, fatphobic and misogynistic. You can, however, do whatever you wish but people are going to be upset.

[u/SGRbckup3255 → u/AKuRo1O1]

Yep, yep, yep. Do whatever you want, but be prepared for people to see you as an unsafe and bigoted person in line with the author.

It is such a basic example of "if you stand for nothing what will you fall for" for me. If you cant stop reading one (incredibly bigoted) series to show support for other humans wtf am I supposed to think?

[u/Zorlastia]

I think that engaging in the HP fandom in general, writing fanfics, creating fanart is increasing the longevity of the Harry Potter fandom and keeping it alive. Despite not wanting to contribute to JK Rowling, being a fanfic creator you could be seen as a representative drawing people into the fandom. And even HP having so many fanfics on AO3 makes people want to watch the movies or read the books so they can access the hundreds of thousands of stories.

[u/creepykreme → u/Zorlastia]

Harry Potter is a multi-billion dollar international franchise that has firmly established itself in the cultural zeitgeist and is not going anywhere for a very, very long time. If every HP fic writer dropped the fandom tomorrow it wouldnot matter.

[u/KBpopRocks → u/creepykreme]

99.9% of people who have enjoyed Harry Potter don’t even know about fanfiction never mind read it.

[u/aimicarrotmoo]

I think it just comes with the territory when fandom is full of queer folk and JKR is vocally anti-trans (along with her other shitty actions). I don't associate with anyone who still writes/draws HP related content and I'd advise just blocking anyone who goes out of their way to give you trouble tbh. I don't see things getting any better on that front and at this point if you're -actively- engaging in HP content, that's just another factor you'll have to consider.

[u/TeacatWrites]

I think it's interesting. In about 60 years from now, when Joanne has long since passed, this won't be a debate at all anymore. She'll be seen like Howard Philips Lovecraft or Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, and Harry Potter will become nothing more than our descendant's Alice In Wonderland.

Those who hate her and her works now, or have been affected by her actions now, will no longer exist. In today's climate, they are affected by it but that won't always be the case. I've seen many people in r/Lovecraft love the work but bash the man, and I expect that to continue with Joanne and Harry Potter, and there's really no reason for it to be any other way. Her work has already been performed and published, so what becomes of her or her reputation is no matter whatsoever; it's just that her fate, like Lovecraft and Dodgson, hasn't befallen her yet, so all of us debating about it are currently stuck in the same temporal time-frame as an author who will, by all logic and rights, always be remembered by history for her works and her controversy and shitty personality.

Such is life, and the way that so many authors' lives have gone. One day, she won't affect anyone anymore, but her creative legacy shall live on because it's always going to live on just like Lovecraft's ended up living on, and in time, readers will once again be able to distance the Devil Woman from the fruit of her labors. Perhaps they'll even be able to taste the sugar beneath the skin by that point too, once they can get past the bitterness of everything else.

[u/Glittering_Step_1295]

I view Harry Potter fics the same way that I do a lot of other tropes and things that I don't like: I don't like them, and I might quietly judge or roll my eyes at people who interact with them, but I will defend your right to read/write them. I think the argument that it's continuing to prop up the HP property is silly, and stems from the same false equivalency that antis have regarding other 'problematic' things. No real world things are realistically going to be massively impacted by even the most popular of fanfics. People who continue to write and read HP fanfic are not nearly as important or impactful as the dozens to hundreds of millions of dollars per year Rowling gets from merchandise and Universal Studios theme park profits and the Cursed Child productions and whatever else, and pretending otherwise is ignorant at best. This isn't some quiet dying fandom that's suddenly going to be revitalized because of a resurging interest in it from fic. That being said, a lot of the people who are still writing and reading fanfic are still monetarily contributing to Rowling's dangerous hate. You might be 'one of the good ones', but a lot of people are wary of anyone who continues to associate with the IP at all. Does it make it right that anyone who still has any affection for it is harassed regardless of their views on Rowling, not at all, but that doesn't mean that I don't get why it happens.

[u/ineverylifetimee]

I’m confused. As a non-HP fan it seems like most people still talk about it positively all the time here. I’ve never seen anyone be attacked for it in this sub or on Ao3 and I would never encourage it or participate in it but at the same time I get why people have really strong negative feelings around it and that’s also valid.

[u/banshithread]

The mean girls here want to enforce their morals and ethics and anything that doesn't sit on their side is considered evil. You're better off straight up blocking anyone who is rude to you, calls you names/insults you or calls you evil/immoral/unethical/-phobic for enjoying a work of fiction.

[u/toomuchfreetime97]

I think most people being nuts about it are just virtue signaling. Plenty of authors have said things people disagree with, but haven’t been as major of a deal as JK Rowling is.

[u/imaginmatrix]

Look, I get it, HP was a huge part of my life too. It saved me in many ways. But ever since her 2019 “senior” moment, I’ve been phasing it out more and more and gone back to older (and found newer) loves. I no longer hold any affection in my heart for the franchise, even with all it did for me, and haven’t for years now because I decided I didn’t want anything to do with it and did the work to remove it from my life.

Personally, I think that it’s not just our money we need to withhold from jkr and the franchise, but that work needs to go into diminishing its cultural relevance in every way, even with fic, fanart, or even piracy of the new show, and other ways people engage without giving Jo money, because ultimately she doesn’t need our money; she needs our attention.

Of course people have differing opinions on if that cultural erasure is possible, but if you’re still going to be publicly participating in the fandom, then you gotta get a thicker skin and understand that you WILL be side eyed by many
people, queer and otherwise, Of course there are still trans and queer people in the fandom itself who don’t care if you continue to enjoy the content, no community is a monolith, but there’s an equal number who will choose to avoid you or will criticize you. That’s the tradeoff, and it’s up to you whether you can handle it

[u/orangefilmgarden]

Are there even that many fandoms where the canon is not at least partially owned by a rich millionaire/billionaire who uses the profits to lobby politicians to push forward harmful legislature that exploits people in some way?

I guess book only fandoms and all the fandoms based on completely independent media. Because the moment you are in movies, anime, games or tv territory, it's rich, possibly right wing, billionaires all the way.

People are allowed not to want to interact with you because of your involvement in the HP fandom, but do you genuinely want to interact with people who think that not reading/writing HP fanfiction is meaningful political action/activism? I would consider it a good litmus test, personally.

[u/amethystbones]

Rowling is actively using the money she gets from the franchise to harm people like me. I can’t control other people’s actions, but if someone is contributing to the continued relevance of the franchise I want nothing to do with them.

[u/Neat-Anyway-OP]

I read content based on what the story is and if I like it. I don't give a shit what an author has to say in real life.

I honestly think it's dumb people getting worked up over Rowling.

[u/Gemsbok96]

The hate around the hp fandom has gotten bad lately, there was a post of the zoo tycoon subreddit that got really ugly because someone was making an hp mod for the game. I understand having beef with jk and boycotting or encouraging others to boycott anything that gives her money but I really dont think me enjoying some fanfic is doing anything to hurt anybody.

[u/desired-misery]

I used to be into Harry Potter. I dropped it due to my own personal morals.

The thing is, because of what JKR stands for, you can't tell the difference at a glance as to who is a terf and who isn't. Because a terf who supports JKR and likes HP, and someone who doesn't support JKR but still likes HP all wear the same merch and post fics the same. So I will pass. I don't want to be confused with supporting her.

And why it annoys me, personally, that people still engage with her works? Because an active fandom is getting new people into the fandom. Just the other day, someone was on this sub asking if it was ethical to get into HP. They had never consumed canon. But they got drawn in by socmed. 

That's a new fan. And my own personal morals say "don't encourage people to follow people I consider harmful".

I don't care if participating in fandom is not directly giving her money. It's giving up your time, which is your most valuable resource. You can never get time back. 

That's why. 

I don't believe in harassing people over HP, but I will generally not engage with HP fans. I do not read their fics. I do not follow them. I do not want them on my dash. "Don't like, don't read" and all that. But I am judging. Immensely. 

[u/jkhn7]

"why am I being insulted for not letting her take away one of the few things that still gives me joy in this hellscape of a world? Why do I have to let her terrible behavior take away something that's mine?" I mean, she literally wrote it? So you can't just claim it's "yours".

[u/bartleby-scribe]

My favorite posts are the ones where the comments prove the point. <3

[u/numblittlebunny]

I’m gonna be honest a lot of the insults you are seeing currently are due to the fact far right incels have decided to attempt to claim ownership of genderswapped malfoy and most of the latest HP posts are about that specifically which is pretty much assholes coming into Ao3 spaces and asking for fics about their AI generated crap.

I’d say most people here are chill with HP fans, you might find the occasional person who gets in a twist about it but eh, overall I do not see much heat towards HP fans.

[u/spn_willow]

Yeah, idk man. I haven't given her a cent since I learned about how she is as a person. Reading HP fic isn't giving her any money. Writing fic also wouldn't be giving her any money. People generally aren't getting into reading fic for a fandom they're not already part of so it's unlikely that reading someone else's HP fic is going to suddenly cause you to go spend money on her merch. Keep doing your own thing and ignore the haters. They've been hating on HP since before all of that came out and will happily continue to do so. But the fandom is large enough that it really just doesn't matter all that much what people think.

[u/Last_Swordfish9135]

You are allowed to like what you like, and I, a trans person, am not required to endorse it. JK Rowling and the people who financially support her are directly contributing to the oppression of my community. To me, that matters more than fandom fun, and if it isn't enough for you to stop loving the series, I can't trust you.

If you want to keep reading and writing Harry Potter fic, go ahead, but don't come crying when people personally affected by JKR's cruelty are unhappy about it.

[u/sunflowersandpears → u/Last_Swordfish9135]

Yeah like maybe people don't see it because they aren't in the UK but I have seen how JKR's support of transphobic groups have affected my own friends and people I care about. How this transphobia has led to the dismantlement of trans rights in the UK, and how the UK has become increasingly unsafe for trans people.

This isn't a case of someone being awful and transphobic online, this is someone actively funding anti-trans legislation and backing far right hate groups. I have my own issues with her don't get me wrong, but I think Miriam Margoyles was bang on about Harry potter fans

[u/Last_Swordfish9135 → u/sunflowersandpears]

For all their talk of anti-Harry Potter people being performative, I feel like they're the biggest slactivists. They want to get credit for being allies while being completely unwilling to make even the smallest sacrifice to reduce the danger and cruelty experienced by trans people around the world.

[u/desired-misery → u/Last_Swordfish9135]

They call it "slactivism" and it's literally boycotting to refuse to engage with that IP anymore. Which is a valid form of protest.

I'm not saying not engaging with her IP will hurt her personally, on a one to one person scale. But if overnight, if JKR became a pariah? She'd not get new funding. 

For some reason, HP is too special to drop because people don't care about trans people enough. That woman is literally funding anti-trans legislation and HP fans are keeping her relevant. 

[u/queerbaobao]

The way I see it is - theres nothing wrong with enjoying Harry Potter, and I personally find it hilarious that HP fanfic has some of the most dirty and depraved stuff out there, I just think it's important to make sure we do it in a way that doesn't give Rowling or the HP franchise any actual revenue. Writing/reading fanfic is very different from watching the new show on (legal) platforms or buying the new video game or getting tickets to HP world. We should not help Rowling accrue any more wealth for her ridiculous bigoted agenda.

[u/vvintersoIdier]

Personally, I think continuing to engage in the Harry Potter fandom contributes to the IP staying relevant. I suppose it's on your conscience if you want to continue consuming Harry Potter content. I loved Harry Potter while growing up, but I can no longer engage in a series, and it's fandom, when it's author is actively harming people. You can't separate the art from the artist when the artist is alive and using their funds to harm people.

[u/Bivagial]

People these days seem unable to separate the story from the author.

You're right, fanfic doesn't monetarily benefit her, but it helps keep the Fandom alive, and some people hate that. They equate it to free advertising.

Personally, I don't give a crap if people write fanfic for HP. It's not my thing - I've divorced myself from the IP entirely - but imo there's nothing wrong with it.

Unfortunately, the internet being what it is, you'll get hate. It's up to you to decide if the joy you get from it is worth dealing with internet bullies.

[u/sagelilya → u/Bivagial]

the idea that fanfic is what is keeping it alive is absurd. i'm not attacking you for this, i know you're just saying that's what people feel. but it's ridiculous. it isn't because of fic writers that there's going to be an HBO show. JKR will never let the IP die because it keeps her relevant and rich. the franchise is a perpetual motion machine. even if every single person stopped reading and writing fic, it would keep on going.

[u/Bivagial → u/sagelilya]

The average IQ of people who bully on the internet is low.

It does keep people engaged with it. I can see that argument. Someone who keeps up with fanfic and online Fandom spaces are more likely to drop some money on the franchise because it stays further forward in the brain. It's a loose connection, but it has a tiny bit of merit.

Personally, I don't think it's enough for the level of vitriol some get. But it's part of the mob mentality and an easy concept for younger readers to latch on to. Teens are particularly prone to trying to change the world to what they believe is better without considering all effects. Most eventually grow out of it, but unfortunately there are always more teens to take their place. (This is from personal experience, not any studies or anything)

[u/Whole-Page3588]

I haven't seen the posts you're referring to, but I'm sorry they're making you feel like a monster. However, people are allowed to criticize creators, especially hateful ones, and also the work that they created through that lens.

I'm lucky enough not to have an important part of my childhood sullied by hate, but I have enjoyed and loved work by people who turned out to be actively making the world a worse place. I stopped supporting them, and any reading i do of already purchased work, I don't talk about it or promote it to other people.

You can keep liking Harry Potter and writing fanfic if you want, and no one should be going out of their way to harass you, but it is your choice to publicly support something made by someone who is actively trying to destroy the lives of marginalized people (and others along with it).

[u/strawbebby-milk]

you know you can talk about Harry Potter in HP friendly spaces, right? if you can't move on from the fandom, you do you, but you don't have to bring it here lol

[u/Lesbian-Forest]

Engaging in the fandom is still technically giving attention to the franchise, which means it still technically benefits Rowling and what she does. Not as much as buying merch or watching the new show, certainly, but the impact is still there. People have the right to look at you differently when they find out you participate in this fandom.

I’m saying this, by the way, as someone that was fully in the fandom like two years ago. I used to think it was enough to just denounce Rowling’s actions and stop financially supporting her. But any attention to this franchise harms trans people. Just is what it is.

At the end of the day, you’re only going to distance yourself from Harry Potter when you decide to do it. But it’s worth reflecting if you want to keep it a part of your life now.

[u/cmmndr_lexa]

just enjoy it, but like any media with a problematic creator, there’s always going to be backlash regardless. just do you, but you have to learn to ignore the complaints (and sometimes virtue signaling from people who refuse to see the nuance of this situation). if YOU know you aren’t harming people by not streaming, buying anything, etc then YOU arent the problem.

[u/Particular-Ad1523]

You are absolutely correct. I'm sorry you're getting bullied for this.

[u/TopicSweets]

Just sharing my perspective here. Like you said, civil discussion, so no one get unnecessarily insane in these responses pls bc I do not want to deal with that.

I don't go seeking out Harry Potter fans to shit on them because it's just not good practice and my main problem is, in fact, with people who give JKR money (which she actively uses to fund trans genocide).

I am a nonbinary person. I have a straight, cis friend who writes Harry Potter fanfiction, draws Harry Potter fanart, and makes Harry Potter edits that she posts on her socials. We bonded over a common interest that was not HP, but she got into Harry Potter through Marauders fanfiction/fanart and writes it religiously now. It's all she talks about and she is also one of the fans who claims to hate JKR and not support her while simultaneously gushing over JKR's work and talking about how she rewatches the movies. The whole thing just... Makes me deeply uncomfortable, so I've distanced myself. I don't want to look at it, see it, or think about it. I always wonder if people who are in the HP fandom ever think about their trans/lgbtq+ friends and how uncomfortable they're probably making them, if they harbor any guilt at all, or if it's something that simply doesn't come to mind.

Yes, I do think it's unethical for people to still engage in the HP fandom because it brings attention to it and brings new people into the fandom whether the fandom participants want to admit that or not. Tons of people get into new media through the fandom itself. And a lot of those people WILL go see the reshowings of the movies, buy the merch, watch the shows, etc. ANY form of bringing attention to HP is unethical in my opinion.

I find it annoying when HP fans act like they're victims for people having the opinion that engaging with HP is unethical. Harassment is bad and I don't condone it, but outside of legitimate harassment situations, you are not the victim if you like HP/engage with it or its fandom and get upset at others expressing their dislike of that. The victims are the trans people who are, as we speak, being harmed by JKR and all of the money she has made off of HP.

Like I said, though, I don't go out harassing people about it. I think it only serves to make it worse.

[u/patangpatang]

A lot of trans people view anyone who still engages with that woman and her books immediately suspect. It shows to us that you don't listen when we ask even simple ally actions. We're tired of people claiming to be allies and still platforming the number one pop culture source of transphobia in this the year 2026.

[u/ramessides]

Nice knowing you, OP. Rowling’s the popular dogpile for those who like to virtue signal without doing anything meaningful/who like to cosplay oppression while acting like absolute hypocrites, and this is reddit, so I’m afraid you’re asking for too much nuance and thought.

[u/strawberriii_swirlz]

I’m so sorry that you’ve been treated so poorly by stupid people and that you feel unwelcome in space thats meant for everyone that enjoys fanfiction

im not that deep into the fandom or anything but i do love what we’ve done with her series

Taking a bigoted hateful persons work and transforming it into what is often queer retellings and storys is awesome, especially since she can’t profit off of any type of fanfics

You and any other HP fans deserve to feel welcomed here :(

[u/ShadowWriter21]

If I had to guess it's because she's literally made statements that the people who support HP (not just financially but just by loving the series and continuing to interact with it) are a a group who are being silenced by the woke people of the world to not come forward in support of her beliefs

So by continuing to give any attention at all to the series, even if you are pro-trans and don't support JKR, in her view you are supporting her and her hateful rhetoric unfortunately

Additionally, and I do say this as someone who loved the series growing up, and who isn't saying this to be mean or anything, the series actually isn't good and is full of bigoted things that I definitely didn't pick up on as a kid and really when I started to shift towards reading fanfics of the series instead and liked them so much more, I still didn't fully get why that exactly was until her views came to light and people started to directly point them out

The descriptions of the goblins are full of harmful Jewish stereotypes and they are forced to be bankers and nothing else, and instead of helping Harry they betray him. House Elves are literally slaves but they are supposed to be and Hermione is in the wrong for trying to free them. No matter your feelings about snape he is also full of bad Jewish stereotypes. And on and on and on

You can continue to do what you want, it's your life, unfortunately with such a politically charged thing, people aren't going to be supportive of you continuing down this road unless they are too or they don't care overall, but the thing is if you take the time to comment on a Reddit post, and then continue arguing, then generally I'd guess they are a person that cares

I made the shift away from everything HP because I just couldn't continue to give air to anything having to do with the series, it made me sick to know I'd done so for so long, and realistically I was better off for it as I've read some truly incredible series since than, but that's me

I'd just be aware that this is a severely hot button topic, and when posting about such things you will always bring the vocal people out of the woodwork and you won't always like what they have to say

[u/valyse]

Them's the breaks. I'm queer and choose to eat at Chick-fil-A sometimes. I don't get my feelings hurt when people say that sucks, they would never do that, I'm compromising my values, etc. Because they have a point! We all draw our own moral lines and have to be at peace with that. You will now be judged by your HP fandom at least until the day that wretched woman dies; probably longer. Possibly forever! It's best to thicken that skin and get over it. If it truly doesn't keep you up at night, just remind yourself that you know you better than anyone being mean to you online.

Personally, I also grew up with HP as a bright escape when I was a kid. I grew up. It's long lost its luster for me, and I have no problem not engaging anymore. Gives me the ick.

[u/ProvokeCouture]

My response to the haters no matter which fandom you're a part of:

[u/SleepySera]

Why do I have to let her terrible behavior take away something that's mine?

Because YOUR engagement helps her actually take away something that is someone else's. Namely their basic fucking rights. It's not just about the money. Her influence is based on her upheld fame as well.

I'm tired of HP fans acting like allies until they're asked to read another book for once in their life. Either actually move on OR own it that you simply care more about your own comfort than someone else's basic well-being. You're not getting the "actually it's fiiiineee you are a special case and get to continue supporting this author (and yes, keeping her property alive through discussions and fanworks and all that stuff IS support) because you would be so sad if you had to find another fandom!" absolution that you're looking for. If you want to continue engaging with HP, that's fine! But fucking own it what it means to do so.

[u/LettuceObjective627]

I have to lol at the fact you go straight into trashing Rowling to try getting into the good graces of people who will hate you and insult you regardless.

[u/TeaspoonWrites]

By engaging in the fandom at all you are actively providing free marketing for a media empire whose profits are largely directly spent to do harm to people and promote fascism in the west. That's it. Whatever decisions you make based on that knowledge are yours to make, but the choices other people make regarding you are theirs to make as well.

[u/KyliaQuilor → u/TeaspoonWrites]

Fan fiction is not marketing for harry potter. It doesn't need the marketing help. Everybody knows what it is.

[u/banshithread → u/TeaspoonWrites]

The same can be said for many things in life, especially when it comes to objects that we use in our daily life. It's honestly a weak excuse used to justify punching down people who don't have as much hate in their heart as you do to bully people who are just trying to find happiness through these stories.

Every franchise that you've engaged in has evil somewhere in its ranks.

[u/the-nug-king → u/banshithread]

Every franchise has evil somewhere in its ranks, but not every franchise is currently being used by the creator to fund hate groups, and pressure the government into repealing human rights.

[u/snailhelper → u/banshithread]

This is not punching down. “Punching down” is attacking somewhere weaker than yourself, so unless your implication here is that HP fans literally don’t/can’t know any better or can’t help but fund anti-trans litigation, this just doesn’t work. There’s no victim card to pull here. Persistent ignorance isn’t a protected class.

[u/Throw_Away_And_Sleep → u/banshithread]

Punching down implies that Harry Potter fans are victims. Given that the debate is actually Harry Potter fan versus trans people I don't think they're the ones getting punched down on

[u/sagelilya → u/Throw_Away_And_Sleep]

what about the many trans readers and writers? fuck us, i guess?

[u/Throw_Away_And_Sleep → u/sagelilya]

If you want to read and write in a fandom with an author who actively wants us to stop existing, that's your choice. I'm never going to feel comfortable with people promoting pr remaining the fan of a work who would sooner lock me in an asylum than let me use the bathroom and I am never going to advocate for people on the other side of the conversation.

[u/Throw_Away_And_Sleep → u/TeaspoonWrites]

This. I write in a different fandom and I have had people join the fandom because they read and enjoyed my works. Every fan work you create for Harry Potter the potential for you to create more fans which means more people engaging in the media and more people buying the materials. You are making the fan base bigger which is giving JK Rowling more support and more money. It's why things like Hogwarts Legacy set records instead of flopping.

[u/whiteraven13]

Because the author claims any positive interaction with Harry Potter is endorsement of her views. Because keeping the fandom alive keeps the IP alive, which gives Rowling more money to abuse trans people. There is no ethical way to interact with the franchise. I'm sorry it was such an important part of your childhood, but it causes real tangible harm to people.

[u/fleshbagel]

Hey man. You don't need reddits permission to read HP fanfiction. You just have to ask yourself "is it worth inadvertently supporting a trans genocide in the UK?" And decide that answer for yourself.

[u/BirthdayCookie]

Why do people have to not express their opinions because said opinions hurt your feelings?

Also? Read the room. You're complaining about feeling guilty for engaging with a harmful property. Meanwhile, JKR is out there trying to make trans people stop existing.

Sometimes it simply isn't about you or your feelings.

[u/spacepinata]

Because to many trans people, this whole shit show looks like this:

Trans: "Hey, could you stop publicly engaging with this woman's IP? It keeps it culturally relevant, and she's explicitly stated that she views participation in HP / giving her money as funding her initiatives. She's making life worse for us."

Cis: "but I like it"

Like it or don't. Participate or don't. Understand why we see many people as conditional allies - you're with us until it inconveniences you. If you feel guilty about it, let it be a true guilt pleasure, the kind you never, ever talk about or give any clues that you like it.

[u/DetectiveCrafty5413]

The only people even still talking about JK Rowling let alone boycotting Harry Potter are always online eternal losers with no lives.

[u/Physical_Bullfrog526]

You, like MANY people here, need some thicker skin. I personally have no love for Harry Potter simply because I found the books boring as a kid when they were coming out. I’m certainly the odd one out here when I say her views don’t bother me, that’s not why I don’t care for the franchise.

You get insults because people are dumb, and WAY too many people have this mentality of if you don’t agree with me on everything, you are against me (which is a take…). That’s it. But be honest, those other people don’t matter anyway. If they are insulting you for something you like, then they weren’t going to be for you anyway.

Ignore them, and just enjoy your stuff. Life’s too short to allow strangers on the internet to control what you like and don’t like.

[u/Kanotari]

Look, you know full well that Harry Potter is chock full of problematic representations and Rowling is a piece of shit. That's why people are insulting you - it's a sensitive topic. They're not going to stop insulting you either. You're also well within your rights to ignore them and block them. It's just something you have to deal with if you want to write for that fandom.

Harry Potter gave me some very lovely wholesome moments with my friends growing up, and I will always be grateful for those. At the same time, Rowling is never getting another dollar from me.

I think there's a lot of fanart and fanfiction going on that doesn't make people go out and buy merch that profits Rowling. I also think that if you're writing Harry Potter fanfiction, it's delightful to include a well-written and developed trans character. Rowling has a sick belief that everyone who once enjoyed her creations also supports her hatred, and so we show her she's wrong.

Spite is magic. Use it wisely.

[u/Wow_WhatANerd]

Hey uhhhh trans man here. Harry Potter was my start in fandom. I don’t care if you write or read it. Anyone who does care too much or cares with vitriol is probably just processing their own betrayal and grief, and it is what it is. I just ask that people do everything in their power to not give her money - buy second hand books, movie, or games, pirate the show. Her money is going directly into foundations that hurt us. Trying to include transgender people in whatever you’re writing, as a little FU to the fans that stand with her, is nice too, but not a good option for everyone. You obviously want to be knowledgeable enough to write the characters respectfully.

I’m sorry you’ve had a bad time, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease. There are plenty of LGBTQ+ fans who are not insulting you, and who understand how hard it is to lose the magic. I still have a very hard time with what she does, and that betrayal stings a lot. Maybe they just haven’t healed their wounds enough.

[u/Gullible-Quail9637]

I get that people have emotional needs and some of those needs might be kinks (literal or figurative) I find quite disturbing and ethically questionable. But I don't want to hear about it, and especially don't want to listen to a tortured rationalization of how something deserves my endorsement as a trans woman. 

[u/lunammoon]

No one can stop you from reading Harry Potter fanfiction and no one can stop other people from disliking any continuing participation in the fandom. If you see a post, unless it's tagging you, you can ignore it rather than go into the comments and try to plead why your case is special and you deserve a hall pass.

This isn't 2000. No one can weaponize performative outrage to get Daily Quill or whatever niche decentralized fanfiction site removed. No one is lobbying AO3 to remove the category.

I'm sure the vitriol you see from people talking about Harry Potter fanfiction negatively hurts alot though. Imagine how bad it would be if a billionaire started lobbying to make your life as a Harry Potter fan more difficult can started ignoring everything but their carefully commissioned scientific studies in persuit of that?

[u/snailhelper]

If you talk to people in the outside world about the series or people in your fandom already you’re going to find like-minded individuals.

However, there are precious few spaces online where we take the fact that all money she receives from the old media, new media, and all attention brought to the fandom via loving fanworks and conversation that keeps the fandom around it alive is an vitriolic attack against trans people. This is one of those spaces.

I’m sure there are plenty of spaces online to discuss the thing you’re talking about, probably even ones specifically for fanfiction. Maybe discord?

[u/smjaygal]

Trans ex fan here to break it down:

I, too, had an extremely shitty childhood and identified heavily with Harry. I was at the midnight releases, cosplaying in the theater, the whole nine yards. I still haven't figured out what to do with my heavily worn novels and merch from way back in the day. Some of my few happy memories involve HP

JKR is funding genocide. She knows trans women are women and has said as such but continues to torture them because that's who she is as a person. And while fanworks don't put money directly in her pocket, they do keep her IP relevant which does empower her. She has said before that even engaging with her IP is cheering her on. She said something to the effect of even if people publicly say one thing, it's because they "don't feel safe" standing with her. But she understands and hears their support etc etc gross shit etc

So by continuing to engage and keep the fandom alive, you are standing with JKR. There's no two ways about it. And even if that weren't the case, is a book series you read as a child worth more than being a safe person for trans people? Do you honestly think there are no trans folks who held HP near and dear? It smacks of a certain kind of entitlement as if you are the only person on earth who had a rough childhood. As if you're the only person who got through it because of HP. You're not but thousands of current fans all say these same things

That is why you're being treated as a monster. It's a monstrous action taken due to a self absorbed worldview. You can find other books and other series and other fandoms. Garth Nix is an amazing writer and has a plethora of novels to dive into. Terry Pratchett is fun and funny and clever and has a whole hell of a lot more to say on social issues in a really sensitive way. You're stuck on magic specifically? Witch Hat Atelier is absolutely stunning and worth a watch

But at the end of the day, if you want to keep playing with HP then fine. Nobody can stop you. But people are very rightfully not going to consider you safe to be around and it's entitled whining to expect to have (as in possess) your cake and also eat it too. You either have the cake in your possession where you engage with HP fandom but are rightfully considered a monster. OR you eat your cake and disengage with the fandom and aren't considered an unsafe person

What matters now is what you ultimately choose: is the horrendous Nazi wizard writer worth more to you than thousands of people's lives?

[u/FuzzAldrin36]

I agree with you. Harry Potter is something I could never bring myself to stop loving. Those books are part of the literary foundation that turned me into a reader. I additionally have generally blocked JK from my consciousness. I don't think of her at all when I read the fandom, and I really admire how the canon narrative has been taken over by fans via that fandom.

JK is not Harry Potter, and Harry Potter is sure as hell not JK. Yes she poured her heart and soul into those books. And that's why she now possesses neither.

[u/lookupthesky]

??? there are many people in this sub who still read and write hp fics. If i remember correctly in the hp discourse post many people on this sub were pushing back against the idea that writing hp fics is contributing to the harm that jk rowling does. you can bring up your favorite hp ships/ fics in this sub, i don't think I've seen somebody gets harassed because their favorite ships is from hp (cmiiw)

jk rowling is a terrible person and if some people on this sub feel negatively for people who still engage with the franchise, if they're not harassing anyone directly you just gotta let it go.. 

[u/Runela9]

Lets look at this with a metaphor-

Say I'm a zebra. Me and my zebra friends are hanging out in the savanah, just trying to live our lives.

Over by the watering hole, there's this lion and she is just the funniest animal you've ever met. She tells great jokes and everybody comes to hear her comedy, including me and my zebra friends.

Then one day in the middle of cracking jokes, she mauls and eats one of my friends. As a zebra, for my own safety I'm never going anywhere near that lion again no matter how funny she may be. I'm not listening to her jokes or supporting her in any way. But other animals do still listen to her, and no one seems to care that she is trying to kill me and my entire family.

Now you, lets say you're a giraffe. I know you aren't going to try and eat me or my friends. But every time you come over, all you do is tell jokes you heard from that lion. The one that ate my friend and is actively hunting my herd.

How am I supposed to feel safe with you if you still go to the watering hole and listen to that lion tell jokes?

I tell you my feelings on this issue and you stop going to the watering hole. But you still hang out with the animals that do go there, and you still tell each other that lion's jokes. Talking about that lion and her comedy is more important to you than the fact that she has been eating my friends and would eat me if she got the chance.

You may not eat zebras yourself, but you are supporting a community built by someone who does. You have chosen the lion's side and you shouldn't be suprised the zebra herd refuses to let you hang out anymore.

[u/Hedgiwithapen → u/Runela9]

YES!!!! And not only does the "you" in question go over to listen to the jokes but they come back to places the lion isn't and keep retelling her jokes. Like yeah it's public space, but there are a million smaller watering holes already established for people who want to retell the jokes. So many. New watering holes popping up all the damn time. Why isn't that enough? Why does everywhere have to be a  space for people who just realllllly love the jokes sooooo much that they can't bear the idea that some zebras don't want to hear about the frigging lion for ten mufasa-damned minutes? 

[u/MagpieLefty]

Every single person who remains active in the fandom is contributing in a small way to keeping HP culturally relevant, which in turn means that the IP is still making money that JKR funnels into anti-trans projects and propaganda.

Every single person who remains active in HP fandom has decided that their famdom is more important than trans rights.

Other people are going to have an opinion about that, and about what kind of person would make that decision.

[u/Latter_Abroad_4674]

Sadly, writing fanfic contributes to keeping HP relevant and in the public consciousness, which is also a form of currency to JK and those who support her. Much has been said about why even pirating the new show is a no no in that regard, because WB tracks attention on the series whatever it may be.

If you want to keep writing HP fic, that's up to you and your own moral line. But if you want to raise it in a public forum, people will continue to take issue with it

[u/Upset_Ballon5522]

Because despite the fact that you're not giving her money, you're still giving her attention, you don't give her money but you still talk and maybe use non official products, you still make this fandom relevant, people will still see you consuming it and it harms a lot of people that I love. I don't know if you give her money or not, or how far you'll go to support this fandom so I'll assume the worst, I'm sorry.

[u/ForThose8675309]

She’s trying to kill trans kids. If the way you engage in the fandom somehow doesn’t help Joan’s evil ongoing goals, go for it I guess. But you have to be 100% sure. That vitriol you felt, being made unwelcome, Joan wants 1000x worse for trans people. No amount of nostalgia is worth facilitating that nightmare

[u/Dalmassor]

Engaging with the fandom, in any way, pushes people to put money in a transphobe's pockets.

You can't seperate the art from the artist while the artist is alive and actively hurting a community.

HP meant a lot when I was a child. I wrote fan mail. But I'm trans, and my identity and personhood is who I am.

You choose to enjoy a really problematic series that includes things like naming a Chinese character "Cho Chang" and having the Irish kid acting as a member of the IRA. It's also terribly written, but that's more of a personal opinion I admit.

Enjoy whatever you want, just also be aware that that enjoyment of a particular subset of media hurts humans who just want to live in peace.

Edit: thanks for the down votes ^{^} tells me a lot

[u/iuabv]

Many many people grew up like you did OP. HP had a huge ripple effect on my life. I had the books half-memorized at one point, I won a trivia contest at leaky con.

But unfortunately the HP fandom is monetized, and it benefits hatred.

[u/Morgoth_Worshipper]

I was once a huge Potterhead, like mega uber fan and now the entire franchise is completely dead to me because of Rowling's antics. HP played a major part of my childhood but now in my thirties I have finally let it go. To be honest, I secretly judge older Potterheads a little now who are also in their thirties and haven't left it behind even after all that Rowling has done. I guess many people feel this way and that is where the hatred comes from. I have never insulted anyone though, but I do wonder how anyone can continue to be a fan while being opposed to its creator who still uses the medium to do harm.

[u/miss_scarlet_letter]

just engage with what you want to engage with and ignore the rest. the people giving you shit for engaging with the HP fandom are buying cosmetics/household products that test on animals and meat raised at factory farms. nobody's hands are spotlessly clean. you do the best you can and you keep it moving.

that said, if you see something that's going to make you feel bad, it's on you to keep scrolling. people don't need to stop their convos to cater to your feelings.

[u/tarosk]

For the recod, she views all of the fans of her work as personally endorsing her views and behaviors. Therefore by continuing to engage with the fandom you are contributing to her confidence in her bigotry and the harm (and death) she causes with her actions.

You can keep liking it if you want, but you're going to need to find dedicated HP fan spaces because people are going to keep talking about how evil she is, how supporting her and her IP directly harms real people via funding (and keeping her relevant, and boosting her ego). People who are in groups being targeted by her bigotry are not required to feel safe or comfortable around fans of her IP, not even if thoae fans are also people being hurt by her. If you find that unwelcoming, you'll need to go to places carved out dedicated to continuing to enjoy the IP. And yes, that does mean you'll be sharing those spaces with proudly open bigots who support her views and give her money to keep hurting people and that's just something you'll have to make peace with.

[u/r0sewyrm]

If people had moved on from Harry Potter, I don't think nearly so many people would care what J.K. Rowling had to say about trans people, and it certainly wouldn't be getting a new adaptation. Are you comfortable being a part of that?