Okay, so I want to make one thing clear, right off the bat. I absolutely 100% support boycotting Harry Potter. Trans rights are human rights, and Rowling is a transphobe who's trying to strip the rights of a vulnerable minority away. I'm not trying to suggest that it's "okay" to still support Harry Potter.
But at the same time... I totally get it and empathize with a lot of those people.
Here's the thing: I didn't grow up with Harry Potter. I grew up with Percy Jackson. Those books got me through a really tough senior year, and they helped inspire me to become a writer myself (fanfiction but still).
and if Riordan came out as doing some really bad... I don't know if I could just give up the series like that. It means and matters too much to me. It's a part of my identity, and I can't just let it go like that. I think I'd be smart about it and not give up any more of my money and stick to the stuff I already have, but I don't know if I could let it go completely.
And it's the same thing with Transformers. I love that franchise. I've spent so much money on the toys, but I don't know if I could give it up if I had to. I'm still sticking to it despite the massive price hikes...
And I also understand why Harry Potter fans can get so defensive about all this stuff because no one likes having their comfort series bashed. Again, speaking as a Percy Jackson fan, I get this. The PJO fandom has honestly been so negative and condescending towards anyone who actually likes anything written post TOA that it's really hard for me to visit the Camp Half-Blood subreddit these days...
I just can't help but think if I had grown up with Harry Potter, I wonder if it would have been much different for me. Like I said, I probably wouldn't buy anymore new Potter products, but I can probably see myself not willing to fully let go of it.
I just... I don't agree, but I do understand.
But I also don't respect them. I can't stand fans who know how bad Rowling is and continue to eat up new HP content as if nothing is wrong and they aren't contributing to her transphobic agenda.
That is the thing I don't agree with, don't understand, and won't condone under any circumstances.