A trans-owned bookshop has been inviting customers to vandalise JK Rowling‘s Harry Potter novels for 25p.
The Bookish Type in Leeds is inviting customers to deface the beloved children’s book to raise money for transgender healthcare.
Customers can deface ‘as many pages’ as they want of an edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
The independent shop then plan to auction the book off once it’s filled up.
Rowling, 60, has become a target after positioning herself as one of the country’s most prominent gender-critical voices.
One message, addressing Rowling, says: ‘You’ve ruined yourself, ruined the name of feminism and ruined the precious childhood of thousands of women and girls. F*** you.’
The Bookish Type told PinkNews: ‘We came up with this idea a few weeks ago as a silly and cathartic way to raise money for five local trans people.
‘It was originally going to only be on our second hand Sunday event that we run every few months where we sell second hand books and give all the money towards local trans people’s healthcare costs, but we did it a week early and people love it!’
Customers can deface ‘as many pages’ as they want of an edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Rowling was criticised in 2018 after she liked a tweet describing trans women as ‘men in dresses’ – with her spokesperson at the time describing the ‘like’ as a ‘mistake’, calling it a ‘clumsy middle-aged moment’.
But the author has since embarked on a campaign seeking to protect what she describes as women’s rights, fuelled by her own experiences of domestic abuse.
That campaign has seen her oppose legislation in Scotland that sought to make it easier for trans people to change their legal gender, and she has provided financial support to those fighting court cases challenging the legal status of trans people.
In a lengthy 3,600-word statement on her website published in 2020, she said her stance on trans rights was drawn from her experiences of abuse and sexual assault.
She wrote: ‘When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman… then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside. That is the simple truth.’
Rowling has since been labelled a ‘TERF’ – trans-exclusionary radical feminist by critics – but has refused to redact her views claiming she acts in solidarity with women.
Her views have led to a rift among Harry Potter actors including Emma Watson, Danielle Radcliffe and Rupert Grint who have commented in opposition to Rowling’s views on the issue, while expressing their gratitude for her role in their careers.
Rowling’s evident disagreement with Radcliffe began after she called out an article that used the phrase ‘people who menstruate’ instead of women, writing: ‘I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?’
Rowling, 60, has become a target after positioning herself as one of the country’s most prominent gender-critical voices
Shortly afterwards, Radcliffe penned an article for an LGBT+ suicide prevention charity in which he insisted that ‘transgender women are women’.
Referring to Rowling’s comments, Radcliffe also said that he wanted to let members of the LGBT+ community know ‘not everybody in the franchise felt that way‘.
Meanwhile Watson, who became famous after playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series, has previously spoken out on the trans debate.
Ms Watson wrote: ‘Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.
‘I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are.’
Their fellow co-star Grint has also previously spoken up, telling the Times in 2020: ‘I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers.
‘Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgement.’
The Bookish Type told the Daily Mail: ‘Camille Sapara Barton speaks on the necessity of tending to grief within social and political movements to avoid burnout and build sustainable resistance. We believe a similar thing can be said about tending to joy, hence, the desire to spread joy among the community is central to this initiative. Existing as a trans person in this political climate is both exhausting and terrifying; it feels especially important to give the community a way to release some emotion.
‘We have had an overwhelmingly positive response from not only our local but also the international community – people from Portugal, Switzerland, Canada, New Zealand and the US have reached out to donate to the campaign. Many individuals have also reached out offering to donate their old copies of the franchise. We are very grateful for how much the community has embraced this initiative and are really looking forward to continuing our fundraising efforts during Second Hand Sunday!’
