- Trans women, trans men and non binary people
are valid, and loved, and welcome here, on this channel.
This channel, this Starfish Community,
is a safe space for them.
Trans women are women.
Trans men are men.
Non-binary, people are non-binary.
And they shouldn't ever feel excluded
from a fandom that they love.
They deserve to feel welcome, and safe.
They deserve authors who see them, and include them,
and value them, and celebrate them.
A week ago. J.K. Rowling posted on her website,
an essay called "TERF Wars",
that is filled with words that are harmful and dangerous
to the trans and non-binary community.
And even if she claims to know and love trans people,
I wish that she realized that what she is saying,
what she is using her massive, and powerful voice
to say is actively hurting and invalidating trans people.
It has an extremely negative impact
on the LGBTQIA plus community.
If you know and love trans people,
and recognize the power and influence that you have,
why would you say something that could potentially
prejudice your followers against them?
Why would you say something that could dehumanize
and endanger someone into de-valuing their existence?
There is nothing wrong with fighting for women's rights,
and being against predatory behavior.
But that has nothing to do with trans people.
The myth that trans people are predators
has been used to vilify a group of vulnerable,
marginalized people.
People who deserve compassion, not fear.
Intentional or not what she is saying
is still hurtful and offensive
to a lot of trans and non-binary people.
And for her to say these things unprompted to a community
that is already discriminated against,
in the middle of a global pandemic, during pride month,
when people are coming together
to protest police brutality, and racial injustice,
when people are fighting for their lives,
for her to use her huge platform right now,
to take away from that discussion
and instead question the identity of trans people,
is just so deeply disappointing,
disrespectful, and insensitive.
Trans people, Black people, Black trans people.
They are just as deserving of human rights,
and we should be fighting for them right now,
not casting doubt or targeting them.
Looking back, this is not the first time
that she has hinted at having these views,
but I ignorantly thought that there had to be
some sort of misunderstanding,
because I honestly just couldn't believe it.
This was my childhood hero.
A woman who wrote a book series about acceptance,
and inclusion, and the power of love.
How could she have these transphobic views
that went completely against the values that she taught me.
That speak against the very fundamental messages
of her own books.
But with these recent statements, J.K. Rowling
has made her views about trans people, very clear.
And at the moment they are not changing.
There are professionals that specialize in trans issues
who have offered to talk to her.
But as far as I know, she has not accepted.
There are trans "Harry Potter" fans that have written
meaningful and insightful articles about the effect
that her words are having.
I hope she reads them.
I hope she has a change of heart
and realizes how much pain she is causing,
how much hate she is spreading by saying these things.
I hope one day she apologizes.
But until that happens,
I cannot continue to publicly praise and support her.
And although I deeply love "Harry Potter",
I in no way support her views,
or condone her actions on this topic.
For those whose identity is being directly attacked
and questioned by her comment,
for trans and non-binary "Harry Potter" fans,
I can't even imagine the pain and betrayal
that you were feeling.
I am so sorry.
Honestly, her words broke my heart.
This has really messed me up.
(laughing)
And now I feel stupid.
Did she have these opinions about trans people
like all along?
And now I worry that when people see my videos,
or see my tattoos,
they're just gonna think that I'm automatically
this hateful and transphobic person.
It sucks.
This just sucks.
I've seen some people say that because of this,
they feel like they need to leave the "Harry Potter" fandom.
And if you feel like you need to do this, I understand.
Honestly, this past week,
I seriously thought about leaving the fandom too.
But then when I thought about cutting "Harry Potter"
out of my life entirely,
I just panicked because "Harry Potter" is the one thing
that always makes me happy.
It represents comfort and joy,
and it's everywhere in my life.
It's on my body, it's in my home.
It's how I met my best friends, and the love of my life.
It's on my wedding ring, it's a part of me,
and I love it more than anything.
You may think I'm a hypocrite or completely overreacting,
but I'm being completely honest with you about how I feel.
Yes, I used to love J.K. Rowling,
but I am not going to let that love get in the way of doing
the right thing and calling her out about this.
I'm not going to turn a blind eye to the damage
she is causing because I used to look up to her.
She chose to share her harmful views publicly.
So I think it's fair to criticize them publicly.
It needs to be addressed because
she is one of the most powerful women in the world.
And the thing she says can make a difference.
Honestly, I don't care if I lose brand deals,
opportunities, sponsorship, subscribers.
It doesn't matter.
Because what she is doing is not right.
And if I was doing something like this,
something that was actively hurting people,
I would want you guys to call me out.
Please, call me out.
The author of "Harry Potter" will forever be J.K. Rowling.
These are her stories, and I thank her for writing them.
But "Harry Potter" stands for something
more than the views of one individual person.
And when those views become harmful,
I think that it's completely acceptable,
and necessary for many of us to separate
the art from the artist, the franchise from the author.
A lot of people believe that books belong to their readers.
And I agree.
I don't think I own "Harry Potter",
or have some claim of entitlement over the fandom.
I don't think that's what that phrase means.
What I think it means is that if "Harry Potter"
brought joy into your life,
then that joy belongs to you.
What you gained from reading those stories
is still valid, and real.
You are allowed to hold onto the goodness of that.
You are allowed to still love,
and enjoy "Harry Potter" if you want to.
J.K. Rowling wrote "Harry Potter",
but we built the "Harry Potter" community.
That community was built on love, and belongs to the fans.
Fans that are constantly inspiring me,
fans that are kind, and loving,
and passionate, and the most wonderful,
and incredible people that you will ever meet.
The "Harry Potter" community is a family.
It is a safe space.
It is a welcoming home for so many of us,
myself included, and I am not giving up on it.
I will continue to fight and make sure
that it is the most welcoming, accepting,
compassionate, and magical community on the internet.
So no, I am not leaving the "Harry Potter" fandom.
Instead, I will continue to love "Harry Potter"
and spread as much Lumos as I possibly can.
So this is what I'm going to do.
Going forward, I will donate a portion
of any "Harry Potter" related brand deal that I receive
to charities that support the LGBTQIA plus community.
If I ever release any sort of merchandise myself,
I will donate a portion of that as well.
I will also personally keep track of how much money
that I spend on official "Harry Potter" merchandise,
and then at the end of the year,
match that amount in donations.
I also have some other ideas for us
to raise money together, to show support.
And I'm excited to talk about them in upcoming videos.
And I'm gonna kick that off today by making donations
to these organizations,
plus any AdSense money that this video receives,
I will donate as well.
Again, this is what I plan on doing,
but if you feel like you need to do something different,
or have a different opinion than me,
that is completely valid.
That's for you to decide.
If you feel you need to distance yourself,
you can't buy official merchandise anymore.
Unfollow her, unfollow me,
whatever you need to do, I totally get it.
But please remember if you feel alienated
from a fictional world that is important to you,
your life, your mental health,
if you use that fictional world to escape
from your reality and find refuge,
to come to terms with your own personal identity,
if that fictional world was a place of love
and belonging for you,
that fictional world is still yours,
and nobody can take that away from you.
Daniel Radcliffe,
Emma Watson,
Rupert Grint, Bonnie Wright,
Chris Rankin, and Eddie Redmayne,
have all made wonderful statements about this.
And I will link them as well as some other resources,
organizations, and articles that I found
to be really helpful, in my description box.
I am not an expert and I am still learning
how to be a better ally.
So please lift up and support trans voices,
read and listen to their words,
donate to organizations
that help the LGBTQIA plus community,
and do your own research before you make
your own decision on this.
I also encourage you to seek out and support other "Potter"
creators who are creating their own content,
unofficial merchandise, fan art, fan fiction,
especially if they are queer.
It's Pride Month.
(laughing)
And to be clear,
even though I firmly disagree with J.K. Rowling's
harmful views on transgender people,
what "The Sun" did to her by interviewing
her abusive ex-husband is completely unacceptable.
I do not condone abuse in any way.
No one deserves to be abused,
and no one should be elevating the voice of abusers, period.
I wanna end this video by reading a little bit of what
Daniel Radcliffe wrote for The Trevor Project,
because he is a legend.
(laughing)
And I thought what he said was just absolutely perfect.
"To all the people who now feel that their experience
"of the books has been tarnished, or diminished,
"I am deeply sorry for the pain
"these comments have caused you.
"I really hope that you don't entirely lose
"what was valuable in these stories for you.
"If the books taught you that love
"is the strongest force in the universe,
"capable of overcoming anything.
"If they taught you that strength
"is found in diversity and and that dogmatic
"ideas of pureness lead to the oppression
"of vulnerable groups.
"If you believe that a particular character
"is trans, non-binary, or gender fluid,
"or that they are gay, or bisexual.
"If you found anything in these stories that resonated
"with you and helped you at any time in your life,
"then that is between you and the book
"that you read and it is sacred."
So yeah,
please know that if you are watching this right now,
that I just appreciate the heck out of you.
You do belong, you do matter.
You still have family in this fandom and you are not alone.