Over the last few months, there has been an uptick in very large creators creating content and buzz around the Harry Potter series. And I only see that getting more frequent now that there is a TV show on the horizon, so I thought I would take a moment to share my thoughts. If that's you, just know this post is meant to be a useful dialogue, not a gotchya moment. Ok? I'm not coming for you. But I do hope you hear me. Cool? Great, let's dive in:

It's time to let Harry Potter go.

I was seven years old when Harry Potter first started trending and I was a part of the first wave of American potter heads. In fact, Harry was one of my very first rebellions. Like many of you, I grew up under the care of a praying woman. And while my mother was a fairly open and accommodating parent who let me figure things out for myself, like millions of other parents, she was quite conflicted when I started falling in love with a story about little kids doing witchcraft and battling evil child abusers. Especially once I started using every stick I found to cast spells on my friends and family. Despite being the one to buy me my first Harry Potter book, she quickly changed her mind and forbade me from reading it.

Which brings me to one of my favorite rebellions (of which there were many). When my mom decided I wasn't allowed to read Harry Potter anymore, I made it my mission to read each and every one. I grabbed them from my school library, read them at my friend's houses, got them as presents, did whatever I could to get my hands on them. I loved them. And when my best friend's mom invited me to go see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone with them on opening night, I went, even though I know I would regret the consequences when I got home (and boy did I).

My point? I understand the hold it has on so many of us. It was one of the first series of that magnitude that was truly written with kids in mind. And with oppression (kind of) in mind. And I was lost in the sauce well into adulthood. I read the series every single year. I watched every movie. Played every game. In fact, if you challenge me to a trivia battle today, I guarantee you I'd keep up with the most dedicated fan. And yet, here we are...and I'm asking you to let Harry go.

Now let's talk about why. Because I actually have two reasons:

First: JK Rowling is one of the worst humans currently alive.

And Second: There are many better stories out there. Ones that don't perpetuate racist ideologies.

Let's talk about Rowling first. Because here's the thing: we are very used to having no choice but to engage with creators, artists and institutions that mean us harm. Our teachers, our doctors, our community center leaders, our librarians... despite their best intentions, they are representatives of racist systems that work tirelessly to reinforce white supremacy and prevent progress. Which leaves us with little choice but to meaningfully engage with people who are forever working against us. So, for a lot of us, that threat is just something that fades into the background. But I need us to pay attention on this one. JK Rowling is not just a "problematic author". She is actively using her money and influence to do massive, systemic, harm.

This photo was posted after the UK supreme court ruled against trans people in an important case.

For years now, Trans people have been warning everyone that JK Rowling is actively campaigning against Trans rights, under the guise of protecting women. And while yes, her twitter tirades are horrible and they do have real world consequences, her bigotry goes even further, both in malicious intent and actual impact. She is actively using her millions and her massive influence to impact laws that will go on to affect an entire country, and likely, the world stage. That is far beyond the impact of your average bigoted author. Her hatred is going to continue shaping legislation that leads to the dehumanization of Trans people...which will ultimately lead to more Trans people dying.

There are plenty of authors I will secretly judge people for promoting but ultimately accept that our moral centers don't have to be identical. But when it comes to JK Rowling, I need us to all get on the same page. She is effectively killing people, and when we use our platforms to promote her work, we are actively helping her do it.

Now, to my second point: while I remember Harry Potter fondly, now that I am an adult who is more conscious of the systems of power and oppression at work in the world, I look back at Harry Potter and realize that, well... it was never a good story to begin with.

Ignoring the evil that is JK Rowling, the series itself is filled with bigotry. In fact, there is an entire story line where Hermione Granger is condemned for freeing slaves...because they might not want to be free.

And Kingsley SHACKLEBOLT didn't even object?

Are you hearing me? lol. JK Rowling has always been evil and her writing reflects that. So let's let Harry go and move on to some better stories.

Here are a few of my favorites:

TJ Young and the Orishas is a west African middle-grade story about a young boy who has inherited power from the gods and now must figure out how to nurture it so that he can fill his sister's gifted shoes as well as protect the world from the awakening Orisha, themselves. It takes place at a school for the Diviners (those gifted by the gods) and follows both his magical education and his efforts to thwart much larger, and more powerful, forces.

Legendborn follows a young Black girl (16) who comes across a magical demon-fighting secret society who seem to be somehow connected to the recent death of her mother. So, in order to get answers, she joins the secret society, where she discovers her latent magical ability. The story follows her journey of both unpacking systemic oppression that has upheld the society's aims for centuries as well as connecting to this incredible power and family legacy that has been completely hidden from her.

Raybearer follows a little girl who has been tasked with learning to love the young prince so that she can join the magically bonded community who, alone, have the power to kill him. The story follows her and a group of other young people as they grow as individuals and learn to genuinely love and care for one another and the prince. During this process, she also learns to see the crown and the systems of power upholding their nation more clearly...and must decide for herself who the real enemy is and what power she has to disrupt their plans.

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