By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
The Booksmith has announced that it will no longer carry Harry Potter books after J.K. Rowling dedicated her private wealth to anti-transgender organizations.
.
An independent bookstore in San Francisco has announced that it will no longer carry Harry Potter books after J.K. Rowling dedicated her private wealth to anti-transgender organizations.
The Booksmith recently posted a notice letting customers know that they would not be selling the series anymore in light of Rowling founding "an organization dedicated to removing transgender rights 'in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces.'"
"With this announcement, we've decided to stop carrying her books," the store wrote. "We don't know exactly what her her 'women's fund' will entail, but we know that we aren't going to be a part of it."
Rowling said in May that she would be starting the "J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund" using her personal fortune. The website for the group states that it “offers legal funding support to individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces.”
It is not the first time Rowling has used her over $1 billion net worth to influence legal cases involving so-called women’s sex-based rights — a dog whistle used by herself and other anti-trans activists to exclude trans people from public spaces and reduce women to their genitals.
Rowling donated £70,000 (roughly $88,200) to the anti-trans group For Women Scotland in 2024 after it lost its challenge to a 2018 Scottish law that legally recognized trans women as women. The group appealed its case to the U.K. Supreme Court, which ruled last month that trans women aren’t considered women under the nation’s Equality Act.
Rowling responded to the decision by posting a picture of her having a drink and smoking a cigar, with the text “I love it when a plan comes together.” The post was widely criticized, including by The Mandalorian and The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal, who called it serious “Voldemort villain s---" and referred to Rowling as a "heinous loser."
The Booksmith included in its announcement a list of fantasy and young adult books to read instead of Harry Potter. It wrote, "As a group of queer booksellers, we also had our adolescents shaped by wizards and elves. Look at us, it's obvious. If you or someone you love wants to dive into the world of Harry Potter, we suggest doing so by buying used copies of these books. Or, even better, please find below a list of bookseller-curated suggestions for books we genuinely love that also might fit the HP brief for you and yours."
