A recent campaign by New York Times has sparked controversy among fans of the popular Harry Potter series for imagining Harry Potter without its creator, J K Rowling. Rowling has been heavily criticized for her controversial statements in the past, regarding the trans community.
The Harry Potter series, first published in 1997, has been an integral part of popular culture and media for a while. The series of 7 books was adapted into 8 films, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ronald Weasley and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.
It is not until recently that the creator of Harry Potter, J K Rowling came into the forefront with her controversial views about the trans community. Her statements have been perceived by many as transphobic due to her indication that trans women are not women.
Moreover, Rowling constantly defended herself through elaborate posts on Twitter and refused to change her views which made her involvement with the Harry Potter series quite controversial. She has been labelled as a ‘TERF’ (Trans-Exclusionary-Radical Feminism) and several Potterheads across the world demanded to label her ‘cancelled’.
As reported by Giant Freaking Robot, a New York Times campaign has been spotted recently by several fans in subway stations and roads where the popular fantasy series was imagined without its creator.
The advertisement, originally made in promotion of independent journalism, featured one image which said, “Lianna is imagining Harry Potter without its creator.”
The reactions surrounding the advertisement has been mixed on Twitter. While some fans have come out in strong support of Rowling because the Harry Potter series cannot exist without her contribution, some have sided with the NY Times, quoting Rowling’s problematic behavior in the past.
The New York Times, however, have not provided with any additional explanation or information about the viral campaign. The campaign has simply supported the sentiments of a large section of Harry Potter fans who struggle to separate the art from the artist.
As per their advertisement, it is okay to imagine the art separately from the artist and thus, it validated the feelings of those fans who struggle to come to terms with Rowling’s problematic comments.
You can watch the Harry Potter series and the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Reunion on HBO Max.
About Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a film series based on the eponymous novel series by J. K. Rowling. The series is distributed by Warner Bros. and consists of eight fantasy films, beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and culminating with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
The film series follows Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, and his journey to take down the evil wizard Lord Voldemort and save Hogwarts, the Wizarding School he attended, with his best friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
The series was mainly produced by David Heyman, and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson as the three leading characters: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger.
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