San Francisco bookstore pulls ‘Harry Potter' books over J.K. Rowling's anti-trans pledge

San Francisco Chronicle​

24-06-2025

A popular San Francisco bookstore has removed the 'Harry Potter' series from its shelves after author J.K. Rowling announced she would use franchise profits to support efforts aimed at rolling back transgender rights.
Booksmith, located on Haight Street, said via statement, it would no longer carry Rowling's books following the author's pledge to fund the 'JK Rowling Women's Fund,' which she described as an organization committed to removing transgender protections 'in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces.'
'We don't know exactly what her 'women's fund' will entail, but we know that we aren't going to be a part of it,' Booksmith wrote in a blog post Monday, June 23. 'As a group of queer booksellers, we also had our adolescents shaped by wizards and elves. Look at us, it's obvious.'
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Rowling has said the fund will provide legal support for women who challenge inclusive gender policies.
'Promoting the idea that men can become women by performing their idea of what a woman is — which, funnily enough, often turns out to be a pornified sex object — does not liberate women and girls,' she wrote in a statement on X last month, criticizing transgender activism.
While Booksmith acknowledged the series' formative role for many readers, they urged fans to purchase used copies or explore their curated list of fantasy alternatives.
The list includes Jessica Townsend's 'Nevermoor' series, Ursula K. Le Guin's seminal 'Earthsea Cycle' and Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' trilogy. Other featured titles include 'Where the Mountain Meets the Moon' by Grace Lin, the 'Tristan Strong' series by Kwame Mbalia, 'Hurricane Child' by Kacen Callender and Rick Riordan's 'The Heroes of Olympus' series.