A Barnes & Noble store in New York City has a new display up just in time for Black Friday shoppers.
Looking for a book about wizards and magic but without the anti-LGBTQ undercurrent? No problem. They have several suggestions under the sign “The Unproblematic Wizarding World.”
Related: Unhinged JK Rowling fan wearing a sandwich sign arrested after harassing a trans politician
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has a long history of transphobia. She has repeatedly attacked the validity of trans identities, portrayed trans women as threats to cis women’s safety, and even promoted vile merchandise with anti-transgender messages.
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Rowling “came out” as transphobic nearly two years ago when she wrote about her support for Maya Forstater, a social justice nonprofit employee who lost her job for attacking transgender people on social media and refusing to use the correct pronouns for transgender people. She sued and lost her case since the court believed that her actions could create “an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.”
Rowling spent the next year issuing diatribes about transgender people, came out in support of conversion therapy for trans people, and claimed that almost everyone agrees with her, even as famous people that she has worked with condemned her words. She also published a book – under a male pen name – about a man who wears dresses in order to kill women.
Rowling’s anti-transgender views have been cited by Republicans in the U.S. to attack LGBTQ rights.
But on social media, users were cheering for the triumph of less problematic magic wielders. Fans quickly touted the other authors and the works displayed.
“Whoever did this, give them a raise and a warm kiss on the forehead,” Pete Milan tweeted.
And when someone responded back with a gif of a man burning books with the words “what fascists do,” another user quickly leapt to his defense.
“No one burned books,” they tweeted. “Barnes And Noble just put the best fantasy books you could find in a convenient place for those who wish to explore worlds and stories that aren’t riddled with bigoted garbage.”
“Whenever others wring hands about JK,” another user suggested, “just shrug and read Le Guin.”
Still, like Voldemort, Rowling still had some defenders.
But when one user complained about “the softest generation,” another shot back quickly, “Idk, you seem pretty triggered by a sign.”
Still others noted that author Brandon Sanderson’s Rhythm of War was included, pointing out that the Mormon author has repeatedly made anti-gay statements and adamantly opposes marriage equality.
Three cheers for this Barnes and Noble sign. https://t.co/xosls1Dllt
— Daniela Battistella (@DBattistella) November 22, 2021
Also it would need to be spoken. In print it's libel pic.twitter.com/Pl8dMqfI5h
— Cuddle Cactus (@TheCuddleCactus) November 23, 2021
Idk, you seem pretty triggered by a sign 🤷🏻♂️
— Remy (@CrackedOzy) November 17, 2021
Whoever did this, give them a raise and a warm kiss on the forehead.
— Pete Milan (@PeteMilan) November 16, 2021
Whenever others wring hands about JK, just shrug and read Le Guin
— Octopus Jones (@jonah_magar) November 16, 2021
So? It's possible to be Christian and not spread homophobia or transphobia. It's *even* possible to be the kind of Christian who thinks that being LGBT goes against their religious tenets without spreading homophobia or transphobia, though it is a harder line to walk.
— Ross Stalker MSc 🏳️🌈💉💉🔶 (@ross_stalker) November 17, 2021