A bookstore in Western Australia has banned the “Harry Potter” series author J.K. Rowling after labelling her an alleged “transphobe” and has vowed to remove her books from shelves, News.com.au reported.
Rabble Books and Games based in Maryland, Perth, wrote on Facebook to tell customers the decision was an attempt to “make Rabble a safer space for our community.”
“Part of that is trying not to put books by transphobes on the shelves, when we know about them,” the bookstore
wrote.
The announcement comes after the author released “Troubled Blood,” a crime novel written under her pseudonym, Robert Galbraith, that some critics have labelled transphobic after a character in the book dresses as a woman to disguise himself.
Rabble Books also noted: “Though we don’t sell many, we’re going to phase out the Harry Potter books too.”
That said, the bookstore will continue to sell the popular children’s series online, just not in store.
However, not everyone has been happy with the ban with
The West Australian reporting on Sept. 19 that police were called to the bookstore after an individual allegedly refused to leave the store while voicing complaints about the ban.
Segments of society have criticised Rowling for standing up for biological women amid a rise in people with gender dysphoria—where a person feels unease in regards to their biological sex.
Writing on Twitter, Rowling argued that by denying biological sex, people are rejecting the lived reality of women globally.
“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth,”
she wrote on June 6.
Rowling followed up by
writing an essay that expanded on her views about biology and gender arguing that: “I’m concerned about the huge explosion in young women wishing to transition and also about the increasing numbers who seem to be detransitioning (returning to their original sex), because they regret taking steps that have, in some cases, altered their bodies irrevocably, and taken away their fertility.”
In the paper, Rowling also noted that in speaking up she had received an ‘avalanche of emails and letters’ that came from people who were worried about the safety of young people and were grateful for her stance.
“Some of them working in fields dealing with gender dysphoria and trans people, who’re all deeply concerned about the way a socio-political concept is influencing politics, medical practice and safeguarding,” Rowling explained.
Rowling also noted that her views were about women’s safety, stem from her own past experiences of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Her comments have sparked an intense debate globally, with many critics of the author calling for her books to be burned or removed from shelves.
Even supporters have been caught up in the
intense backlash against Rowling with Scottish children’s author Gillian Phillips being fired by her publisher for simply tweeting that she supported Rowling.
Meanwhile, actors
Daniel Radcliffe and
Emma Watson, who played Harry Potter and Hermione Granger in the WarnerBros Movie franchise of the “Harry Potter” series, have written on Twitter to express their support for the transgender community.
