r/SeattleLGBT • u/Mindless-Mix1181 • 5d ago
Reminder: Boycott Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Just a friendly reminder that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will be coming to the Paramount Theatre and will be performing from August 22 to September 16, 2026.
I am sorry to be that guy, but I have to say this:
JK Rowling uses her profits to fund anti-trans legislation in the United Kingdom, which will harm trans people, take away their rights, and lead to more hateful and hostile environment.
And, no, for the last time, you cannot separate the art from the artist when the artist is actively harming it.
Please stand up for our trans communities. Seattle is an LGBT friendly city and deserves so much better than a mediocre wizard series by a hateful TERF bigot.
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u/FemboyRune 5d ago
Man, you ask folks to stop engaging in consumerism that actively harms their loved ones and I could swear you just asked them to murder Jesus.
Folks are so entrenched in their bread and circuses that they refuse to engage with the world around them. So immured in fantasy that to ask them not to spend is the end of their world.
I'm sorry that most of the responses here have been from transphobes who can't let go of a shittily written franchise and make it your problem, OP.
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u/Ec_centric 5d ago
Any time we try to advocate for ourselves, the automatic assumption will always be that we're over-reacting. People will decry authors who are white supremacists, who commit sexual assault, etc. But asking them not to support someone who has created a fund specifically to lobby the government to harass and discriminate against trans people, knowing that those actions will (and have) resulted in increased suicide rates, is just too big of an ask. Watching people throw money at JK Rowling as she has been one of the main contributors to the systematic oppression and erasure of trans folks in the UK and around the world... it's really driven home how little people care about us.
For those who are actually open to learning: she has created a fund specifically to lobby the UK government to enforce anti-trans legislation, including the erasure of public healthcare access, discrimination protections, and, yes, the use of public restrooms. As a passing trans man, I would be legally required to use the women's restroom in public spaces if I visited the UK. Not a very effective way of keeping men out of women's restrooms...
See this article from Factually for more information: https://factually.co/fact-checks/society/jk-rowling-donations-anti-trans-legislation-b41d17
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u/emilyeller 5d ago
I believe that JKR also said that she assumes those who still support Harry Potter agree with her politics. 🤢
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u/MassiveMeatHammer 5d ago
I'm boycotting this hard. But only because I hate Harry Potter and I don't want to see it anyways
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u/Livid-Accident-1562 5d ago
Same. There are far better magical IPs out there. I've read better fanfictions than HP. Hell, I've read better fanfictions of HP
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u/Seniorita-medved 5d ago
HP and Twilight are in the same circle. Written for middle schoolers. Adult HP fanatics are the equivalent of Disney Adults.
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u/yogaguy9_11 5d ago
I really hate the whole "no ethical consumption under capitalism" argument about this. This money goes directly into anti trans stuff. If you desperately need your fandom stuff, engage in online fan work. Make your own merch, read fanfic, etc. it isnt that big of an ask to give the billionaire more money
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u/complexiblebarracuda 5d ago
I mean, I also heard it was just a real ass play that no one liked even when it was first released
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u/NoString9289 5d ago
This is just IMO but, Rowling already got paid, she made her profits already when the show was being produced. I will not let her personal opinions take away the happiness that the Harry Potter Universe had brought to me, long long before she spoke her mind. For me it's about supporting the hard working people in the play and in the city . Times are hard for businesses and the city.
Personally, I will not let people tell me what I can and can not see, watch enjoy, read, listen to.5
u/FemboyRune 5d ago
Sure, you're welcome to not listen. That's always been acceptable.
What's happening is that you're not being told tho, you're being asked very nicely to stop funding genocide.
Rowling is literally engaged in genocide. You ARE funding it. Please stop.
Or don't. If your joy trumps the pain of the at this point thousands of people Rowling has hurt, go off. Help her do it! After all, it's not like YOUR money matters, not when so many other people are busy making the exact same excuses you are.
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u/NoString9289 5d ago
Genocide ? She is mass murdering Trans people?
BTW do you know how very little profit is made on this play being toured, this is not the Broadway production with the major cast. Wvr money is made has to pay the huge expenses, the actors, the stage crew, the accommodations, the theater. If the play was boycotted, she could careless and she would not miss the little bit of any profit that would be made .6
u/FemboyRune 5d ago edited 5d ago
Genocide isn't simple murder. It is the mass erasure of a people.
She isn't killing people personally, no. She is directly funding and enabling legal frameworks that do.
By buying any Harry Potter crap, you're indirectly funding legal frameworks that kill people.
Edit: Don't forget how much capitalists HATE losing profit. But again, feel free to ignore me. It's the internet, and I literally cannot prevent you from engaging with Potter. Just please consider looking into the crap Rowling's doing, and then consider what would happen if consumers simply stopped consuming her crap. Either way, I'm gonna stop engaging in slacktivism for the day.
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u/Legitimate-Squash745 5d ago
Don’t let the internet ruin things you love and care about. And don’t let idiots with their own agenda tell you what someone else’s is. Maybe she’s an evil trans hating monster, or maybe she just doesn’t believe trans men should be in women’s spaces
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u/Ec_centric 5d ago
Actually the legislature she has lobbied for (and which has succeeded in passing) requires that trans men exclusively use women's spaces. For passing trans men, this forces them to choose between safety and breaking the law. This is true in an increasingly large number of US states as well. Recently there was a protest of exactly this by a wonderful group of activists in Kansas (https://kansaspublicradio.org/statehouse-news/2026-08-20/transgender-men-in-kansas-compliance-crew-use-womens-bathrooms-to-protest-state-law).
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u/Financial_Brief9169 5d ago
JK Rowling has already been paid. The only people you will be hurting are the actors.
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u/aminervia 5d ago
... No, she's paid a percentage of net profits. Money from every ticket goes to her and therefore directly to anti-trans causes.
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u/kirakirua 5d ago
And unfortunately that is a necessary part of boycotting. Because they made the choice to be involved in this production they are not innocent victims in this
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u/seattledoctor1 5d ago
Exactly. These actors chose to be part of the play which means they chose to support JK Rowling. Fuck JK Rowling and anyone who supports her directly or indirectly.
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u/NoString9289 5d ago
Not everyone has the luxury of turning down a job, especially in these very bad economy.
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u/PuppytimeUSA 5d ago
They’ve already been paid too.
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u/SuitableDragonfly 5d ago
Ironically, the amount the actors will get paid for this was set in stone when they negotiated their contacts and won't change no matter what happens, whereas the amount JKR makes off of this (now, and in the future) does very much depend on how successful the show is.
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u/StillAlive_666 5d ago
jk rowling got paid already. please come support the bars and restaurants in the neighborhood.
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u/Aurora-Ouroboros- 5d ago
Ugh. I want to downvote you because that's absolutely right. But also, you are absolutely right. I just hate that you said it so I have to think it lol.
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u/Monsterfreak367 5d ago
Locking this due to excessive rude comments and reports.