inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world 7 months ago
it has a no tolerancy policy against transphobia
Does this include discussion of Rowlings current work like Bad Blood?
I ask because it gets to the core of why “separate art from artist” can’t apply when you are promoting the works of active bigots. Reading Poe or Seuss harms no one, but starting a community to promote upcoming projects from a bigots, such as the TV show or the games.
It feels HP fans want to have their cake and eat it to, you can’t be a trans ally AND be promoting the works of someone who uses that capital to actively harm trans folk. Which is why so many trans people are asking you to stop.
You and other trans who are asking people to stop are missing one important point: Harry Potter is the reason many trans people are still alive.
A story can walk farther even if the storyteller faltered sooner.
You have to understand that people often lose their way. It’s in the nature of many humans to do so.
Harry Potter is the reason many trans people are still alive.
And transphobia in main stream society is why many trans people are NOT alive today. Something that Rowling directly perpuates via Harry Potter. Every bathroom bill she champions and every trans inclusive space she attacks is part of this. Without question she is the biggest most influential name when it comes to transphobia. You can wax poetic that she “lost her way” and think of the good ole days but that doesn’t change the fact that her current actions are directly causing harm and the trans community is asking you to please stop celebrating her work. Rowling herself sees her continued public support of her work as direct endorsement of her bigoted views.
So if you truly do want to prioritize miniziming self harm then please understand how your actions and this community is supporting harm.
whoa, was Voldemort after them?
blueberry@diagonlemmy.social 7 months ago
Its H.P. themed not Rowling themed. If they want to talk about Bad Blood in the literature section, sure. Like on all other literature instances, too.
inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Okay, but can you understand how that logic isn’t very consistent? Bad Blood itself is itself explicitly transphobic (a male killer dressing as a woman specfically to stalk women in the bathroom), it’s inherently biased bigoted propaganda. So discussion of the text would be allowed in literature section. Just not if it were transphobic?
You are trying to have it both ways. It’s easy enough to say you won’t allow transphobic content, but not to understand what that is nor listen trans folk pointing it out.
I mean frankly, you are gonna have the community regardless what I or any other trans person say, which is your right. Just please acknowledge that this isnt how an ally would act. It’s actively cognitive dissonance to have a nontransphobic discussion of Bad Blood or any of Rowlings work.
blueberry@diagonlemmy.social 7 months ago
No, I meant that it wouldn’t be put to discussion if it were transphobic. It would need to be decided just like for any other book. I just don’t want to pre-empitively outrule the book because I don’t know it AND because the situation hasn’t arised yet.
But yeah, we can assume that it would happen. Its a fair question. Probably I or the mods would have to do some reading and then decide. But that holds for any controverse book.
Now, the question is, if in doubt, would I rather ban the book discussion or not, I would be on the side of allowing it, because banning books from discussion is a very radical step and then see if any transphobic comments pop up around it.
That’s true, it was never up for discussion; I mean, it was some work to put it up. But I’m interested in your opinions around it. Just because it will not be a safe place for queer folks (I have neither the resources nor the skills), it can still be a generally welcoming place to them (hopefully).
inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I wanna share with you something a therapist said to me a few years ago, a trans black man. (his race shouldn’t matter, but when I have talked about this story before I am told its important context). Are you familiar with mammy dolls? Wiki has pictures at the bottom and google will bring up a ton of stuff. You can go to basically any thrift store and probably find some.
Anyways, he told me that when he would go to an acuiqtances house some of them would have these dolls, usually little salt’n’pepper shakers. And how seeing those items would radically change how he viewed that person. He said it was common for his host to realize his reaction to them, and talk about how it was a family heirloom and that they aren’t racist. But, if an individual person is fine with a little racial sterotype out on their dinner table, Dmitri told me it didn’t really matter what they said next. Because he knew they were willing to look the other way when it comes to racism, and that if it ever came to it, that person probabbly couldn’t be counted on to help if he were the subject of some sort of racial abuse. Very much the same way people defend the confederate flag, it’s easy enough to say you aren’t racist but if you can’t even look at your own actions, how could you possibly speak to others?
I am glad you are interested in not having a transphobic space, but I need you to understand that having a harry potter is inherently looking the other way on transphobia. It tells the world that it’s not a deal breaker and you can work around it because you have good memories of the piece in past. It’s easy to say you don’t agree with Rowlings views but if you can’t even stop from celebrating her work, then how much can any one really expect of you to be an ally? The simplest ask of “please stop promoting bigots” is apparently too much to ask.
You aren’t morally required to be a trans ally I suppose, but it’s important to me that you understand it’s an oxymoron to have a harry potter community that is welcome for trans people. You can absolutely find black people with confederate flags and you can find the same for trans people liking HP, but they are absolutely the minority and the vast majority of those group find those sorts of things threatening. Seeing how easy it is for groups of people to ignore that in favor of a nostalgia, reminds us how close to the edge of society we are.
It’s not your fault that harry potter communities make me feel unsafe. But it is a common trigger for TONS of trans people about anxiety, dread and fear for the future. I’m sure you have never been in a trans support group, but please understand that HP is brought up often because its something that cause stress in the overwhelming majority of trans folk. I personally have been harassed by people wearing HP shirts, even if you and others are willing to look the other way on it, you must understand that other TERFs go to HP because of the transphobia.
So there you go. Thank you for listening to my opinion, you are of course always well within your rights to do or read whatever you like. I just ask that you please stop promoting, financially support and publicly celebrating bigots. I would say the same thing to fans of The Turner Diaries and of Finders-Keepers.