Like many others, I hadn’t heard of JKR when her first book
hit the shelves of bookstores here in the U.S. In fact, at this point, I can’t
tell you how that first book entered my reading list (and for the sake of this post,
it really doesn’t matter), but once it did, my family and I were hooked. We
were those people that were at the bookstore at midnight for the book releases,
and we usually read the whole night through. We bought multiple copies of the
books so that we could all read at the same time. We were just as passionate
when the movies came out, and we bought them too when they became available. To
put it plainly, I loved the books and the world they represented… Not anymore.
So, what happened? JKR happened. Now, I respect everyone’s
right to have and voice their opinion. I also believe that freedom of speech does
not equate to freedom from consequence. JKR has shown herself to be transphobic
through multiple statements made over several years. I will not post the links
to her statements here; I refuse to pollute my blog with her vitriol.
Let us talk about a few truths about being transgender in
the United States. Research done by the Williams Institute finds that trans
people (over 16) are four times more likely than cisgender people to be victimized
Why did I say I would be talking about She Who Will Not Be
Named when all I’ve done is talk about books and statistics? Well, it has to do
with representation and the impact of words. Compared to her, my voice is quiet,
barely a whisper. I cannot be heard above the crowd. Even all the voices of the
transgender men and women that are speaking up, wanting to be heard and seen,
cannot compete with the magnitude of her voice, and in the world, we live in
today, those loud voices are paid attention to. So, her words negatively impact
the lives of people that just want to live their own life to the fullest. Her
words strip away the joy that we felt and reading the stories and enjoying those
worlds she created. Her words can kill people, maybe not directly, by
validating negative stereotypes about the transgender population. To separate the
art from the artist, Picasso is a great example. He was a terrible human being,
but his art stands out. The thing is, Picasso is not around to further tarnish
his legacy by saying or doing something that we find objectionable; JKR is.
So, I will not support anything having to do with her. I’m
not going to read the books I own; I will not watch the movies. I am going to speak
up when she is brought into the conversation. Anything that uses the world she
created, I will not support. I know that that will not make the slightest difference
to her; she already has my money. Nor am I stupid enough to believe that all of
the major corporations that use that world to make money are suddenly going to
stop because a trans woman from Colorado is upset. I do this for me. I do this
for the teenager struggling with who they are and are bombarded with the
negativity she spews. I do this for the little kid that is just exploring their
identity. At least one voice out in the world that objects and will speak out.
Hugs and Kisses…
Vicki
References
RAINN. (2021, December 14). Perpetrators of
Sexual Violence: Statistics. Retrieved from RAINN:
https://www.rainn.org/statistics/perpetrators-sexual-violence
Williams Institute. (2021, March 23). Press
Releases. Retrieved from UCLA School of Law: Williams Institute:
https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/press/ncvs-trans-press-release/
