It is no secret that the Harry Potter series has significantly impacted my life and helped shape me into who I am today. It is also no secret that the series creator (who I will very ironically refer to as "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named") has chosen "being a raging transphobe" to be the hill she is going to die on.
When "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" first stepped upon her Twitter soap box some years back to side with some anti-trans news stories, I so desperately wanted to defend her. I could tell that her views were heavily shaped by past abuse, so I held onto hope that she would step back, get educated, and realize her mistake. I, however, was the one who was sorely mistaken as she has only doubled and tripled down on her stance since.
It's often said that "the higher you rise, the further you fall" and that couldn't be more true; once a highly respected figure, "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" has become determined to use her massive amount of influence for hate, damaging a community that needs all the love and support they can possibly get. This disgraceful behaviour has naturally led much of the world to turn on her, and as a result, to turn on the beloved series she brought to life.
The task of reconciling the love of the art (that yes, is flawed, but that's a topic for a whole other day) with the dislike of its creator has been very hard to manage for many, myself included. However, a recent rumor that WB wants to purchase the rights to Harry Potter from "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" has given many hope.
Had you asked me 20 or even just 10 years ago if I thought WB should have the rights to Harry Potter, I would have said you were bonkers. This, of course, would have been coming from a girl who practically worshiped "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" as a god, even devoting a grade 10 Careers project to her as she was the reason teenage me aspired to be an author when I grew up. Given the current climate, my views have very much changed.
As far as I'm concerned, the Harry Potter brand is in better hands with WB (yes, the creators of the horrendous "Batman V. Superman"), than its original author. It's not an ideal situation, but the ideal situation is an author that doesn't use their platform for ill (aka, if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all), and we have far surpassed that point. If the rumors have legitimacy, I will be the loudest voice saying that David Heyman should be put in charge. That man has done so much for Harry Potter over the years and has been a part of things since the very beginning (hence why I cried when meeting him in 2016 after winning a Canada-wide contest). When they say "Never meet your heroes", Mr. Heyman does not count.
In closing, trans women are women, trans men are men, and "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" needs a major reality check, but I think we've passed the point of no return.
What are your thoughts on this rumor?
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