How to Fire J.K. Rowling

a guide to ethical engagement with Harry Potter

-BOYCOTT THE HBO SERIES-

A Brief History of JKR’s Transphobia:

In December 2019, J.K. Rowling went to Twitter to share her support of Maya Forstater, a woman whose employer chose not to renew her contract because of her outspoken transphobic views.

In June of 2020, she again went to Twitter to mock the phrase “people who menstruate.”

In response to the pushback she received about these attitudes, she published an essay about her transphobia. Many wonderful trans folks have spoken beautifully about the issues with this essay.

After that, her transphobia became a constant low-level thing, with larger moments being used as a publicity stunt every time she has a new project coming out. Particularly noteworthy examples include both December 2021 and October 2022, when she publicly opposed trans-rights legislation that was being considered in Scotland.

Here is an extremely comprehensive overview of her transphobia.

It is also worth noting that a US senator quoted JKR while blocking an LGBTQ civil rights bill.

So when we say that she is a threat to the safety of trans people, we mean it literally.

We are firing JKR

Bigots should not have jobs that allow them to harm people, and JKR has an enormous platform that she is using to make vulnerable people, including children, less safe.
We, the consumers, are JKRs employers.
We are the ones with the power to fire her by stopping her paycheck.

Firing vs Canceling: what’s the difference?

“Cancel” is an amorphous, confusing term that we used in the beginning of this whole thing as a sort of snarky clickbait, but it’s not really what our objective is here. As far as we can tell, to “cancel” someone is to notice bad behavior, call someone out publicly, not allow them room to grow, learn, or change, and then to write them off forever, regardless of present or future actions. 

We are absolutely NOT cancelling JKR. 

We are firing her, because she has repeatedly been given performance reviews, offers of help, and access to tools to learn and grow and she has decided to continue to do harm. 

What are our goals?

• To make the message clear that transphobia is bad for business

• HBO to cancel the TV series

• Universal Studios theme park to end their contract with JKR

• WB to drop the HP and Fantastic Beasts franchises

• All publishers to drop JKR, both her new books and reprints of HP

•Streaming services to to stop licensing HP/FB movies

•Brands to stop partnering with JKR

How do we fire JK Rowling?

There is NO WAY to ethically put money in JKR’s pocket.

Firing her begins with cutting off all monetary support.

She makes money from the following sources:

•Universal Studios: she receives a portion of all ticket sales, as well as food, beverage, and merchandise sales from the Wizarding World attraction. There is no way to go to Universal Studios without giving JKR money. (source)

•If the planned HBO series goes forward, she will profit massively. Do not watch the series.

•Book sales for any book she has written, as well as the illustrated Harry Potter, official HP coloring books, Cursed Child screenplay, and any other official branded materials.

•Books published under her pseudonym, Robert Galbraith (the Cormorant Strike series)

•Movie sales, rentals, and theatre tickets for Harry Potter or Fantastic Beasts.

•Official merchandise sales, including LEGO.

•Ticket sales for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

•All Harry Potter video games, including Hogwarts Legacy.

•WB Studios tour.

•Anything else officially associated with an Intellectual Property that she owns.

•Streaming services: most streaming services license an IP for a period of time, so creators don’t earn money per view. However, our views determine what they decide to license, so streaming Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, and Return to Hogwarts still contributes to her income.

•All participation in/engagement with official works associated with an IP that she owns signals demand for those products/offerings, which in turn signals that continued partnership with JKR is a sound business move. Even if an offering is “free,” you are still contributing to ongoing partnerships.

If it’s not fan-made, pirated, or used, it benefits her and endorses transphobia. WHEN IN DOUBT, OPT OUT.

What can we do instead?

•Get your books and movies used

•Buy fan-made merch

•Watch fan-created content

•Listen to wizard rock

•Read fanfic

•Listen to podcasts

Goblet of Wine has compiled a list of royalty-free ways to enjoy the HP world!

*Note: Library checkouts are not a good alternative, as library books are replaced frequently and increased demand will result in more copies being purchased. Also, authors earn royalties from library checkouts in the UK.

Is there really any point to any of this?

•Sometimes folks suggest that there’s no point to boycotting because JKR will never change. However, the point is not to change her—this is absolutely not for her. The point is to show the companies that profit off of her that partnering with transphobes is not a good idea. No amount of talking about her bad behavior will impact WB’s decision to produce more JKR-related content, but declining sales absolutely will. (There is also potential that declining sales and dropped contracts will encourage her to stop being so vocally and publicly awful, which would be great.)

•”There’s no ethical consumption under capitalism” is not an excuse to do whatever you want, consequences be damned. It is, without a doubt, more ethical to spend your money somewhere else. As Chuck Tingle said, “you can [buy Hogwarts Legacy], but other buds can also then point out you are not being their ally. The real price of your game is $70 plus the respect of your buds. That’s your call to carry.”

Why keep engaging with Harry Potter at all?

While we no longer talk about Harry Potter, it might still be possible to do so ethically. Please listen to or read the transcript of our discussion about why we decided to stop talking about it.

The following text was written before we stepped back from HP:

We still talk about Harry Potter because of what Lark has referred to as the “shared cultural language” of Harry Potter, and what this tiktoker calls “cultural saturation,” and in either case boils down to: our disengagement would do nothing to negate the cultural influence of HP, but it would remove the most important, critical voices from the conversation—ours. Yours. 

So, we talk about it. We keep loving it, not as something separate from the artist, but as a work that is better than its artist. The flaws of the author permeate every aspect of her creation, but thanks to our imaginations and creative brilliance, there is still good that can come from interacting with the world she made. 

For more reflection on engaging with problematic creators and why JKR requires a very specific response, please check out the “problematic fave” section of the Fandom Forward Fan Organizer Coalition!

Beyond money: How to interact with the Harry Potter fandom with integrity: 

We are firing JK Rowling, but not giving her money is just the beginning.

Interacting ethically means doing your best to make all HP fan spaces safe and welcoming for everyone. Are your fan spaces moderated? Could they be? What are the policies around transphobia, homophobia, antisemitism, racism? Could they be improved? Even if you don’t run the spaces, can you reach out to whoever does? You don’t have to be prepared to do all of the work, you can just send them this guide! If you ask them to implement stronger policies and they refuse, you’ve learned something important about them. 

Interacting ethically means acknowledging the harm she has caused: Put a trans rights gif in your tiktok. Include “no TERFS allowed” in your fan art instagram bio. It’s a tiny thing, but it signals to those who interact with your creations that you are aware of her bigotry and you don’t stand with it. It helps those who might be on the fence know what the creators they respect think. You don’t have to constantly talk about her bigotry to take a stance against it, but you do have to make it clear where you stand. 

Interacting ethically also means making choices that align with your beliefs. There are HP fan creators out there who toss “trans rights” in their bio and then do paid partnerships with WB, or bombard their followers with Amazon affiliate links for official HP merch. It should go without saying, but actions speak louder than emojis. So don’t be those people, and don’t support those people. There is no integrity in choosing money over the lives of trans people.

Interacting ethically sometimes means choosing not to do things that you want to do. People are widely disappointed to learn that Universal Studios is JKR’s biggest revenue source, and making the decision not to attend a place that folks hold very dear can be painful. We encourage you to allow those feelings to exist, to honor that disappointment. Acting with integrity isn’t always comfortable, but it is always worth it. 

Answers to FAQ:

•yes, she makes money from all universal studios ticket sales, as well as from food and merch sales from the wizarding world part of the park. In fact, as of 2019, the theme park makes up the largest percentage of her income

•no, “offsetting” financially supporting her by making donations is not participating in a boycott—she doesn’t get your money with a note saying you made a donation. We live under capitalism and money is the loudest language we have.

•the “what about [game devs/actors/theme park employees], don’t they deserve money?” question is honestly so deeply transphobic it doesn’t deserve acknowledgement. The full question being asked is “what about [insert job here], don’t they deserve money at the expense of trans people’s safety and wellbeing?”

•Wondering about that whole “doxxing” incident? Here’s everything you need to know.

Digging into JKR’s essay:

Addressing The Claims In JK Rowling’s Justification For Transphobia, by Katy Montgomerie for Medium

JK Rowling’s ‘TERF Wars’ YouTube video by Jammidodger

A Letter to J.K. Rowling From A Young Transgender Person Who’s Sick of Her Shit, by Hayden Moon for Junkee

J.K. Rowling Triples Down on Transphobia, by Claire Lampen for The Cut