Harry Potter fansites distance themselves from JK Rowling

[eyebrowshame]

I'm wondering why, if they feel so strongly about this, that they don't just close down the sites? Oh, would it be because they make shed loads of money on the back of her work, perhaps?

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/03/harry-potter-fan-sites-distance-themselves-from-jk-rowling-over-transgender-rights

I saw this earlier. I wonder can JK say that she doesn't allow them to you use her characters as they are covered by copyright?

The sad thing is that the people who run these sites have studied the Harry Potter books in great detail, but don't appear to have been able to read anything that JKR actually wrote on this issue.

it would be funny if it wasnt so sad. Numerous teenage and twenty something girls yelling JKR is "trash" and that "Harry Ron and Hermione would punch her"

they cant bring themselves to read what she wrote because "OMG she's just a TERF bitch now"

Makes me sad, I posted on another thread do they think she’s just changed her entire personality overnight? Why aren’t they capable of saying well we might disagree with her but we know her to be a lefty, tolerant, generous humanitarian so maybe there’s a bit more to it than that she’s just become an evil bigot overnight.

Although I suppose you just have to look at the abuse Evanna Lynch got for not condemning her strongly enough to know why.

Let them continue to like her work while hating her as a person, maybe they'll have a growing awareness that it might be worth finding out what the hatred against JKR is actually about.

Also, any legal action would be a game of whack-a-mole and would create enormous ill-feeling to no good effect.

I agree nauticant I personally don’t think she would go down the legal route.

Let them continue to like her work while hating her as a person, maybe they'll have a growing awareness that it might be worth finding out what the hatred against JKR is actually about.

I agree, I'm sure she is hurt because she has probably met the people who run the sites, but fundamentally I think they deserve pity. Some of them will learn the hard way that sex matters.

Utter misogyny. Remember when the director of Guardians of the Galaxy had old tweets surface featuring jokes about raping kids? Fans were furious at the idea of him being punished over it.

But a woman raising concerns about the erosion of sex-based rights? Burn the bitch.

I'm amazed that fan sites are still a thing.

@merrymouse

The sad thing is that the people who run these sites have studied the Harry Potter books in great detail, but don't appear to have been able to read anything that JKR actually wrote on this issue.

Exactly what I was thinking. If only they would spend as much time reading her tweets and working out the meaning behind them (although its not exactly unclear) as they've spent reading and researching her books.

I too wondered how this stuff works. Does she have the right to close them down?

I saw this earlier. I wonder can JK say that she doesn't allow them to you use her characters as they are covered by copyright?

Thats the thing about JK she seems like a genuinely good person. If I had her money I would be out for vengeance and be suing people left right and centre for all the horrible lies they've made up about her since she posted her very rational thoughts on the matter.

Was curious to see if they had talked about it on the podcast and found one from last December where they talk about Maya's case from 04:44, they tell some absolute whoppers apparently Maya created a hostile work environment and refused to acknowledge peoples gender identities that she didn't believe were valid
pottercast.mischiefmedia.com/15-2-sorting-it-out-j-k-rowling-transphobia-and-what-just-happened-to-our-community-with-jackson-bird/

This article on fandoms is quite enlightening. 'Harmonians' were/(are?) 'shippers' for a relationship between Hermione and Ron.

"So they turned their ire on her. Harmonians began to openly insult Rowling, calling into question her talent as a writer, denigrating her for being divorced, and even insulting her personal appearance. One post even indulges in some pearl clutching, wondering if the “moral” of Ron/Hermione is really one she wants to pass down to her daughters."

www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-fall-of-fandom-etiquette-and-the-rise-of-the-ship-war

I find all this totally bizarre. If these people are old enough to run a website then why are they still so fixated on children's books?

I don't think she should close fan sites down, even if it was possible to do so. It would just inspire more hate.

What I think she should do instead is freeze them out. Give exclusive content to any fan site brave enough to stand with her, or do giveaways. It would be really lovely if she sent signed books to fans who write to her in support or something.

Jo Rowling isn't a petty person. She's not mean-spirited and I hate to see this becoming the public perception of her. The only way to fight it is to rise above it, imo.

The Ickabog is one of the loveliest, funniest books for younger children I've read in a while. A little bit Road Dahl, a little bit fairy tale, a little bit Animal Farm. I hope it does well when it's eventually released, especially with the proceeds set to go to those affected by coronavirus.

It's been wonderful to see Jo interacting with all the kids who drew illustrations for the book on Twitter. She uses each of their names and invariably picks out one particular thing to praise about the picture, to give her response the personal touch. I can't imagine how thrilled the kids must be to hear from her. It warms my heart, it really does.

The sad thing is that the people who run these sites have studied the Harry Potter books in great detail, but don't appear to have been able to read anything that JKR actually wrote on this issue

Yep, there’s such a strong moral code through the whole series. Do what is right not what is easy. Almost prescient.

What really upsets me, is that no-one has yet called out all the horrendous abuse she got. I would love, in an ideal world, for all those twitter & facebook users who promised to attack her, to be tracked and prosecuted for inciting hatred and violence, for that is what they have done.

Female politicians get this abuse regularly, and it is unacceptable. It is about time women are given protection from men (all men).

I remember that with the ‘harmonians’ I was a teenage potterhead at the time. The ironic thing is I remember their ire being discussed with the founders of these sites in an exclusive interview she gave them at her own house! She went out of her way to be generous to those people and sent a lot of people to those two particular sites by publicly endorsing them.

I think they were probably teenagers themselves at that time and maybe in their early/mid thirties now?

In other words, overgrown children through security blanket out the window.

Similar coverage in Russia Today

Online schism divides Harry Potter lovers after fan sites distance themselves from ‘transphobic’ J.K. Rowling
www.rt.com/news/493662-rowling-harry-potter-fans-trans/

I imagine JK (and her lawyers) are laughing all the way to the bank.

I love her. I wish people would just fucking read what she wrote. It was just so well written and quite frankly, decent.

There are a lot of people who make fan art. Emily’s Comics does a stick cartoon called my life as a background slithering. Her whole career is off the back of Harry Potter and she denounced JKR but still wants to publish a book of her cartoons.

The reddit Harry Potter and JKR groups have banned you from saying anything positive about JKR. A new group was set up called r/JoanneRowling and that was banned too.

I have been a Harry Potter fan since I was a child so I always knew that the fandom was batshit but this is nuts.

These people need to grow the fuck up and stop hiding in fantasy land.
Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

Same as the people who started attacking Baroness Nicholson because she is a long time friend of Jo and co founder of charities. Most completely unaware of the women and children she has helped during her life.