Overview

• Booksmith removed all Harry Potter titles after Rowling announced she would channel franchise royalties into the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund, a group offering legal support to challenges against transgender protections.
• Staffers, many of whom identify as queer, said they could not continue profiting from Rowling’s fund and urged readers to purchase used copies if they wish to revisit the series.
• The bookstore posted a curated list of alternative fantasy reads, highlighting authors such as Philip Pullman, Ursula K. Le Guin and Jessica Townsend.
• Public reaction has been divided, with LGBTQ+ advocates praising the stance while critics accuse the shop of censorship and politicizing its inventory.
• Rowling’s anti-transgender views, first spotlighted in 2019, have also prompted former Harry Potter stars and other celebrities to publicly distance themselves from the author.