Hello everyone,

I saw recently another post on Lemmy which was fairly negative towards fans of the HP universe (some people announcing that they would block other people because those are HP fans)

I guess we can all agree by now that JKR’s transphobia is bigotry and should be condemned.

However, that still does not say what do to with that universe that we love.

I found an interesting article on that topic: https://www.popsugar.co.uk/entertainment/harry-potter-fans-jk-rowling-transphobia-essay-49214964

I guess the most important part is

Still, there may be a way to enjoy Harry Potter as a trans person or ally. Over the years, many fans have found creative ways to engage with the series’s magic while also acknowledging its creator’s bigotry. In her paper “Transformative Readings: Harry Potter Fan Fiction, Trans/Queer Reader Response, and J. K. Rowling,” Jennifer Duggan, an associate professor of English at the University of South-Eastern Norway — says that it’s possible to interpret the text of Harry Potter itself in ways that would certainly horrify its writer. “My central thesis—one which has also been argued by other academics like Thomas Pugh and David Wallace — is that the Harry Potter novels are deeply queer,” she tells POPSUGAR. “I mean this in both senses of the term: they champion nonnormativity through the contrast of the ‘perfectly normal’ Dursleys and Harry, and they are, at their heart, a story about a boy with an ‘abnormality’ (as the Dursleys call his magic) who comes out of his cupboard under the stairs and discovers and finds and affinity for a hidden, colourful, queer world. I take this argument further to argue that the novels are easily read through a trans lens, since there is a focus in many of the books on shapeshifting, including several cross-gendered transformations.”

Fandom, she adds, can provide spaces where Harry Potter fans can explore the series’s queer undercurrents while celebrating their own sexualities. “From what I have observed, I have concluded that for the most part, the Harry Potter fandom continues to offer queer and trans fans a positive space,” she tells POPSUGAR. “The two main trends I have seen in fan works are an ‘answer hate with love’ reaction, in which fans focus on trans positivity, and so-called ‘spitefic,’ which are works that are framed as revenge on Rowling for the hurt she has caused. These works are usually trans-positive, too. That said, I fully understand why some fans feel they can no longer engage with the texts in any way.”

Link to the research paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10583-021-09446-9

Seems an interesting way for me to re-appropriate the universe, what do you think?

  • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
    46·
    10 months ago

    “My central thesis—one which has also been argued by other academics like Thomas Pugh and David Wallace — is that the Harry Potter novels are deeply queer,” she tells POPSUGAR. “I mean this in both senses of the term: they champion nonnormativity through the contrast of the ‘perfectly normal’

    You can tell people not to read the books, or you can use the books to educate. I prefer not setting the precedent of banning books, but you can do whatever you feel.

    • DragonTypeWyvern
      95·
      10 months ago

      Yet another disingenuous argument, pretending people are “banning” her books.

      Interesting.

      In any event, just as you can get free copies of Poe, Lovecraft, Kipling, etc, because their works are public domain, I would suggest if you’re willing to ignore her personal views, which don’t really come up that much anyways, you always have the option to just acquire her work in ways that don’t financially benefit her.

      Whether that’s a used copy or a… More open view of intellectual property, there’s options for people who like the setting yet don’t feel like making a billionaire more of a billionaire.

      • Blaze@discuss.tchncs.deOP
        5·
        10 months ago

        you always have the option to just acquire her work in ways that don’t financially benefit her.

        Whether that’s a used copy or a… More open view of intellectual property, there’s options for people who like the setting yet don’t feel like making a billionaire more of a billionaire.

        Sounds reasonable

      • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
        312·
        10 months ago

        dis·in·gen·u·ous [ˌdisənˈjenyəwəs] ADJECTIVE disingenuous (adjective) not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one does.

        That word doesn’t mean what you seem to think it does.

        Where wasn’t I candid or sincere?

        • DragonTypeWyvern
          65·
          10 months ago

          Damn, you’re just actually incapable of making an honest argument, huh?

            • spacecowboy@sh.itjust.works
              75·
              10 months ago

              There is an entire section of the fediverse that makes shaming anyone who shows any appreciation for the HP universe their life’s purpose and you are NEVER going to change their opinions. Don’t waste your time or energy.

              • x4740N@lemmy.worldEnglish
                2·
                10 months ago

                You may want to look into the “circular firing squad”

                People are going to be people and you cannot stop people from being unique so I think the circular firing squad may be somewhat of an inherent property of humanity that pops up sometimes when people from the same group disagree woth each other

              • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
                46·
                10 months ago

                I’ll keep that in mind, thanks for the warning. Amazing what people dedicate their lives to, isn’t it?

                  • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
                    34·
                    10 months ago

                    Take a book suggestion for your troubles.

                    “How Can I Help You” by Laura Sims. A wannabe writer and a serial killer are both working at a small town library. Really fun read.