As it comes time to ‘head back to Hogwarts’ as described in J.K. Rowling’s fantasy book series, Harry Potter, it also comes time to be reminded of and to acknowledge J.K Rowling’s blatant transphobia. 

Around this time of year, due to its popularity, many people’s cozy aesthetic involves different inclusions of the Harry Potter franchise. Whether it be watching the movies, or reading the books, or even planning a trip to Universal Studios, people find comfort in this world. What many of these people don’t realize though is how much they’re benefiting the author and her intolerant views. Because J.K Rowling owns the rights to the Harry Potter franchise, every time the series is used in media, wealth is generated for her.

In June of 2020, J.K Rowling posted an unsettling tweet on her Twitter account. In response to an article that used the term “people who menstruate” she attacked by saying: “people who menstruate. I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” This is very easily interpreted as mockery and an attempt at a joke. Her view is that only women can menstruate, but that’s simply not true. There’s many trans women who don’t menstruate, and plenty of trans men who do. By posting this ‘joke’ J.K Rowling exposed herself as an unaccepting and uneducated person. Now, this is not a one time occurrence or a mistake that she seeked to correct. J.K Rowling later came out aligning herself with TERF beliefs. TERF stands for Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist. Their beliefs exclude transgender women from the feminist movement, which is not a feminist thing to do. The feminist movement is designed to be intersectional, meaning it lifts up the rights of all women, especially those who are marginalized including women of color, LGBTQ+ women, and specifically transgender women.

Many readers are able to find solace in the Harry Potter series because it’s a book about found family, and love, and acceptance. To LGBTQ+ readers of this series, it might have meant even more if they had felt previously isolated because of homophobia and transphobia. That’s why it was upsetting for many to see how she completely disregarded her large population of readers who identify with the LGBTQ+ community. It’s an easy and comfortable world to escape into. Though it would prevent supporting someone like J.K Rowling, people have a hard time letting go of the fictitious world, but you don’t have to. You are still able to immerse yourself in the Hogwarts fantasy world through other characters and plots that are equally, if not more lovable and relatable than the actual Harry Potter series. All The Young Dudes.

All The Young Dudes is a Harry Potter fanfiction who’s author goes by the name Mskingbean89. The platform where you can read this fanfiction is called Archive of Our Own, or commonly known as AO3. It cannot be bought as a print book, but if you’re skilled in binding books, you can certainly do that. If you’ve ever wanted to know what life at Hogwarts is like without initial Voldermort stresses, this is the story for you. Set place from 1971-1995, this follows the lives of the main Marauders (Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Lily Evans) and ties in lesser known characters such as Mary Macdonald and Marlene Mckinnon. 

This story starts in the summer of 1971 when the Marauders are entering Hogwarts. It follows the viewpoint of Remus Lupin as he transitions from living in a children’s home to living at Hogwarts. His transition is a particularly difficult one, not just because he’s going from being a muggle to becoming a wizard, but because he’s a werewolf. He’s an angsty and emotional young boy prone to causing trouble as he steps into the wizarding world. Nevertheless, he befriends young Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew and they become known as the Marauders. Their first few years together include a plethora of pranks, self discovery, nicknames (Moony, Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail), and happy memories. As the story progresses, the themes of the fanfiction become more grim and dark, but the author is always sure to include trigger warnings at the beginning of chapters, as well as explanations of British slang used at the end. 

Personally, I’m not quite finished with the fanfiction, but the amount of emotions unearthed by reading what I’ve read thus far is unreal. I thought I loved the Harry Potter series, but this is even better. The inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters such as the main character Remus, who is gay, and more diverse characters make the plot and the story more comprehensive and realistic. The characters are complexly created in a way that’s a bit surprising from a fanfiction. It’s effortless to fall in love with them. A character I found easy to admire is James Potter. He’s a little self obsessed and arrogant, with the purest intentions deep down. He’s empathetic and generous, and loyal to a fault. 

If you’re looking for more from the Harry Potter series I would strongly advise you to read this fanfiction. I’d also recommend finding a good playlist to accompany you while you read. Listening to the plenty of music mentioned in the story helped me to immerse myself completely in the world. This story is a pleasant break from reality, while also not being completely out of touch with society and societal issues.