Thread by @communistkeanu, Hey cis friends, if you're making posts about why it's okay to [...]

Hey cis friends, if you're making posts about why it's okay to still like Harry Potter I need you to make sure you're including why it's important, and how, to engage with the fandom while still boycotting the things that generate money for JKR.

I also need you to make sure that you're centering how to keep trans people safe within the fandom as opposed to assuaging your own guilt involved in participation. You should not be telling other cis people it's okay to engage with the fandom and not to feel guilty -

you should be exploring why it makes you and others feel guilt to engage with the fandom and how you can make sure you're offsetting your fandom engagement with trans support, because your experience is not the one that we need to be talking about right now.

Basically, if your content instructs others not to feel guilt but doesn't explore how to support trans people at the same time, then all you're doing is caring for your feelings and the feelings of cis people. You are signaling to your trans friends that your comfort is more

important than our safety and health. I understand that you need content right now, and that you feel comfortable continuing to engage with the fandom, but that's not the case for everyone and you need to make sure that's centered in the conversation.

Let trans people lead the conversation about this. You can't always know or understand why trans people feel the way we do about Harry Potter or JKR right now, and a lot of us do feel that engaging with Harry Potter content is supporting transphobia unless it's done in a VERY

careful and specific way. If you see this and think that it might be about you, it probably is. Feel free to send me a message and ask how you can adjust your content to better support the trans community and the trans members of the HP fandom.

And do NOT let me catch y'all promoting anything that generates money for JKR unless it's a contract you signed before she revealed herself as a TERF, and if that's the case be very transparent about that. If you're making deals for more content, be sure to ask brands about

whether they're licensed with the Harry Potter franchise, whether JKR receives royalties, the company's stance on transphobia, and make sure if they are a brand that licenses the franchise that you make it clear you would not be comfortable promoting those licenses specifically.

If the company cares about working with you, they'll understand and send you non-HP licensed merchandise options instead. If they say we can't ensure that you won't receive that merch, make it clear that you won't be including it in your promotion of the brand.

This doesn't include small shops that make HP-inspired content, because JKR doesn't receive royalties on that, but still be sure if they're sending you HP items that you ask their stance on her transphobic comments. Be responsible when you choose to represent a brand.

If you need a good example of this, check out how @Brianamatopoeia handled a pre-transphobic JKR brand deal with a company that sent her specifically Harry Potter licensed products: she reached out to the company to make sure their stance on the situation matched her own,

and made sure it was okay to include a disclaimer that she and the company condemned what JKR had said and supported the trans community. She was very open about the way she had interacted with the brand, and made sure to center the trans experience before proceeding.

THAT is how you produce HP content right now. Make sure trans people are supported before you worry about your content, because no matter what, I promise we are more important. I don't care how many followers you have, trans safety is more important than your engagement.

If you need some pointers on successful boycott and support of the trans community while maintaining engagement with the fandom:
- Do not buy official Wizarding World merchandise, including in-park HP area food and merch. Buy from small shops and secondhand instead.

- Do not buy new copies of any of her books, HP or otherwise. Buy secondhand.
- Do not purchase or rent the HP movies online or physically. I promise you those movies are pirated online somewhere, and if you're not comfortable doing that, find an alternative for movie night.

- Do not attend official HP events or the Broadway show. Attend private fandom-produced events. (This is obviously not currently relevant because COVID.)
- Do not ride HP attractions at the Universal theme parks. Spend as little time in the HP areas as possible.

- If you attend the Universal theme parks, donate to a trans organization to offset the royalties that JKR receives from ticket sales.
- Do not tag official HP franchise social media in your posts. Engage as little with them as possible. Unfollow those accounts if you can.

Let me be very clear that if you are not boycotting the HP franchise in these ways, you are contributing and endorsing JKR's transphobia. Be open about how you are boycotting. Set the example. Let us see your support for the trans community.

I am a trans person to whom the world of Harry Potter has been absolutely vital. I cannot even begin to explain how important a part of my childhood HP and friends were. I truly love the world the fandom continues to create out of those works. But that's not my focus now.

Will I continue to engage with the fandom? Maybe. I don't feel comfortable doing it right now. I feel very invisible and uncared for when I see people I love or admire continuing to engage with it normally, like nothing has changed. A lot of trans people feel very attacked

by continued visible engagement with the fandom, so consider adding content warnings when you discuss JKR and her comments or transphobia in general in your posts. Make sure keeping us safe is the goal here.

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