TWO leading Harry Potter fan sites have publicly distanced themselves from author JK Rowling over her recent comments about transgender people.
The Leaky Cauldron and Mugglenet sites said they would no longer use photos of Rowling or link to her own website.
Speaking jointly, they said her views on “marginalised people [were] out of step with the message of acceptance and empowerment we find in her books”.
“Our stance is firm,” they wrote. “Transgender women are women. Transgender men are men. Non-binary people are non-binary.”
The stars of the Potter films, including Daniel Radcliffe, have also spoken out against Rowling’s remarks.
Read more: JK Rowling sparks outrage over comments on sex, gender and trans people
Rowling posted a blog last month in which she detailed her beliefs on transgender issues.
She had faced criticism for posting tweets in which she took issue with the phrase “people who menstruate”.
In the blog, she said her interest in trans issues stemmed from being a survivor of abuse and having concerns around single-sex spaces.
In their statement, the Leaky Cauldron and Mugglenet sites said it was “difficult to speak out against someone whose work we have so long admired”.
Yet they said it be “wrong” not to distance themselves from Rowling’s “harmful and disproven beliefs about what it means to be a transgender person”.
“We stand with Harry Potter fans in these communities, and while we don’t condone the mistreatment JKR has received we must reject her beliefs.”
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