After reading Gender Queer last year, Maia Kobabe immediately shot up as one of the writers for whom I had the most respect. Eir writing style is gentle, compassionate, and informative and I strive to capture those qualities in my own work. I was absolutely delighted when I found out that ey had written a piece about the fairly tangled web that is J. K. Rowling.
Like many people my age, I was once a big Harry Potter fan – though admittedly, I was quite late to the party. I finished reading (and reviewing) the books in 2019, which was pretty much the last point in time before J. K. Rowling became passionately transphobic. I now no longer feel comfortable buying books (or other products) that will help line Rowling’s pockets, because her position is an inherently hateful one.
There are some people out there who would undoubtedly take issue with what I have just said – after all, her stance is usually angled as sticking up for “biological truth” or as simply being the stance of somebody who wants to protect women. Unfortunately, this is not the case at all, and Kobabe does a fantastic job of illustrating her journey from someone who seemingly made some poorly considered comments accidentally, to someone who is openly and actively anti-trans.
It’s not a matter of opinion, it’s a matter of fact that that is what she does and it’s chronicled here perfectly, with beautiful illustrations in Kobabe’s usual style. These aren’t innocent mistakes, this is conscious and continuous misinformation and anti-trans propaganda. But it’s not all about the transphobia, this piece is also about the important role that Harry Potter played in many people’s childhoods, and how it was even a refuge for many of the queer people that Rowling now attacks. It’s such a sad turn of events – and that’s what Kobabe was documented her.
It’s like a journey. It starts with the nostalgic joy that Harry Potter and the Wizarding World provided for lots of people, and the sense of community that it created, and then moves on to show the very tangible harm that Rowling has done to the LGBTQ+ community. The bits which document Kobabe’s childhood Harry Potter fandom is actually quite beautiful, and for anyone who doesn’t really understand the situation, or who just wants to feel seen after feeling betrayed by Rowling, this is well worth a read.
Rating: 8/10
