J.K. Rowling’s gender-critical views have sparked waves of controversy over the years.
This year alone has seen her come under fire from celebrities such as The Mandalorian (2019) star Pedro Pascal (whose sister is trans) and LGBTQ advocate and British icon Sir Stephen Fry, largely in response to a provocative tweet she shared in which she celebrated the divisive outcome of the U.K. Supreme Court’s ruling on biological sex earlier this year.
Even Lucius Malfoy actor Jason Isaacs, who previously defended Rowling against the backlash, recently said he doesn’t “understand who she is on Twitter”.
But Rowling has been dividing fans and the celebrity world for years.
Other Harry Potter stars may have come to her defense (only where the backlash is concerned), such as Ralph Fiennes (Tom Riddle/Lord Voldemort) and Miriam Margoyles (Professor Sprout), but Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) have publicly condemned her views while showing solidarity with the trans community.
But while every attempt at “canceling” Rowling has failed, that hasn’t stopped trans-rights activists from boycotting Harry Potter projects such as the 2023 open-world video game “Hogwarts Legacy” and the upcoming HBO television series reboot in an attempt to hit the author where it hurts: financially.
Now, bookstores in San Francisco have canceled the Harry Potter book series.
Harry Potter Series Canceled
Bookstores in San Francisco have removed the Harry Potter titles from their shelves due to Rowling’s views. Via Deadline, Booksmith announced the decision in response to the launch of the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund, “a legal fighting fund for women protecting their sex-based rights.”
Per the website, J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund (JKRWF) “offers legal funding support to individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces. It provides women with the means and confidence to bring to justice cases that make legal precedents, force policy change, and make positive contributions to women’s lives in the future.”
As listed on the site, the cause funds legal representation for women and organisations who:
- Have lost their livelihoods or are facing tribunals because of their expressed beliefs
- Are being forced to comply with unreasonable inclusion policies regarding single sex spaces and services, or female-only clubs and events
- Are challenging legislation which takes away the freedoms or protections women are entitled to
- Don’t have adequate means to bring actions to court or to defend themselves
Trans people are not mentioned anywhere in the website’s literature, however, Booksmith has described JKRWF in a statement as “an organization dedicated to removing transgender rights ‘in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces.”
Related: J.K. Roasts Beloved ‘Harry Potter’ Star and LGBTQ Icon as Their “Friendship” Falls Apart
The statement reads: “In May of 2025, J.K. Rowling publicly committed to using her private wealth from the Harry Potter series to develop the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund, an organization dedicated to removing transgender rights ‘in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces.’”
“With this announcement, we’ve decided to stop carrying her books. We don’t know exactly what her her ‘women’s fund’ will entail, but we know that we aren’t going to be a part of it. As a group of queer booksellers, we also had our adolescence shaped by wizards and elves. Look at us, it’s obvious. If you or someone you love wants to dive into the world of Harry Potter, we suggest doing so by buying used copies of these books.”
It then recommends alternative titles for readers: “Or, even better, please find below a list of bookseller-curated suggestions for books we genuinely love that also might fit the HP brief for you and yours. Many are series; some are standalone. Books for the younger folks are listed first, switching to teen/YA about halfway through (the book Wise Child is the first in the YA section).”
But Booksmith isn’t the only San Francisco bookstore condemning Rowling’s views by clearing the Harry Potter books off its shelves. Fabulosa Books has announced on Instagram that it will also no longer buy or sell the books as Rowling “is devoting her life to nastiness”:
However, it’s fair to say that none of these actions will leave even the tiniest hole in Rowling’s pocket. With an estimated net worth of around $1 billion, she has amassed a gargantuan fortune from her work.
Back in 2017, in responding to a fan on X (then Twitter) who said “I will now burn your books and movies” because of the author’s views, Rowling took the opportunity to remind the world that Harry Potter has already made her rich, saying, “Well, the fumes from the DVDs might be toxic and I’ve still got your money, so by all means borrow my lighter”:
Well, the fumes from the DVDs might be toxic and I’ve still got your money, so by all means borrow my lighter. pic.twitter.com/kVoi8VGEoK
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 31, 2017
Is the Harry Potter TV Series Safe?
With all of that said, Rowling is still potentially causing a great deal of harm to the Harry Potter brand in the long run. With a reboot underway, which is set to go into production soon, now is the time to try to and appease fans of the franchise instead of alienating them.
Is this why Rowling recently gave the scripts for the first two episodes her seal of approval? Is this a form of damage control in light of all the backlash she’s received this year alone?
On the other hand, the Wizarding World has probably gotten so incredibly popular that it can afford to lose a massive portion of the fanbase and still rake in tons of cash. But we’ll find out when the Harry Potter series premieres on HBO sometime in 2026 (not yet confirmed).
Francesca Gardiner (Succession, His Dark Materials) is writer/showrunner and an executive producer, Mark Mylod (Game of Thrones, The Last of Us) will executive-produce and direct multiple episodes, and J.K. Rowling is also an executive producer, along with Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films.
The Harry Potter TV series stars Katherine Parkinson (Molly Weasley), Lox Pratt (Draco Malfoy), Johnny Flynn (Lucius Malfoy), Leo Early (Seamus Finnigan), Alessia Leoni (Parvati Patil), Sienna Moosah (Lavender Brown), Bel Powley (Petunia Dursley), Daniel Rigby (Vernon Dursley), Bertie Carvel (Cornelius Fudge), John Lithgow (Albus Dumbledore), Janet McTeer (Minerva McGonagall), Paapa Essiedu (Severus Snape), Nick Frost (Rubeus Hagrid), Luke Thallon (Quirinus Quirrell), Paul Whitehouse (Argus Filch), Dominic McLaughlin (Harry Potter), Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger), and Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley).
Where do you stand in all of this? Do you agree with J.K. Rowling or do you think she’s doing more harm than good? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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