Bookshop stops selling JK Rowling titles over trans views
Booksmith, which refers to itself as a 'group of queer book lovers', has stopped selling Rowling's titles in response to her new legal fund, created to support 'women's sex-based rights'.
'With this announcement, we've decided to stop carrying her books,' the San Francisco bookshop wrote on Instagram, encouraging fans of the Harry Potter series to buy second-hand copies instead.
'We don't know exactly what her new 'women's fund' will entail, but we know that we aren't going to be a part of it. As a group of queer book lovers, we also had our adolescences shaped by wizards and elves. Look at us, it's obvious,' the post read.
'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.'
On Monday, Booksmith, which has operated in the city's Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood since 1976, published a list of fantasy books on its website similar to the Harry Potter series, under the heading: 'Wizards, but not That Wizard'.
'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,' the website read.
The move sparked a censorship row on social media, with one person commenting: 'So you're going to curate your selections to only sell books by authors that you agree with politically. Good to know. I'll be shopping elsewhere.'
Another accused Booksmith of 'choosing to silence someone you disagree politically with'.
The shop responded by claiming the ban on Rowling's novels is 'not politics at all' and is 'no different' to encouraging readers to buy from independent book stores.
'There are plenty of books we carry that we don't 'agree' with, but in this case, it's not politics at all,' it said.
'When the author of a book states that all sales of those books will contribute to an anti-trans fund, the only way we can choose not to participate is by not selling the books any longer. it's no different than when we encourage you to buy your books in indies rather than purchase them on Amazon.
'It stands in direct opposition to everything we believe in and that we have tried to uphold in our nearly 50 years of selling books.
'If you want to read the HP books, we implore you to buy them used locally, where the money stays in the community you love.'
The author in May announced that she would funnel her personal wealth into a JK Rowling Women's Fund, described as a legal endowment to support 'individuals organisations fighting to retain women's sex-based rights in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces'.
Although the fund does not mention the transgender community specifically, Rowling has been a vocal defender of women's spaces and sex-based rights.
Booksmith is one of several US cultural institutions that have boycotted Rowling over her gender-critical views.
In August 2023, the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle scrubbed its Harry Potter exhibits of all mention of the author, describing her as ' She Who Must Not Be Named '.
Despite public backlash against Rowling for her views on transgender issues, there is little evidence of activism impacting on her book sales.
The Harry Potter books have sold 230 million copies in the US and 600 million worldwide, making it the bestselling book series of all time, according to US publisher Scholastic.
Forbes estimated Rowling has earned more than $80 million (£60 million) a year from book sales and Potterverse brand extensions including films, theme parks and theatre shows since she first began speaking out on women's rights in 2020.
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