Overview

• On June 23, Booksmith announced on Instagram it would remove the Harry Potter series from its Haight Street shelves.
• The decision responds to Rowling’s May launch of the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund, which pledges legal support for campaigns against transgender-inclusive policies in workplaces and protected female spaces.
• Staffers described themselves as queer booklovers determined not to support Rowling’s fund and urged customers to seek used copies or explore other fantasy titles.
• Booksmith provided a curated list of replacement reads including Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor series, Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea Cycle and Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.
• Rowling has faced public rebukes from Harry Potter actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Stephen Fry, as well as from Pedro Pascal, over her gender-critical statements.