I just read this article out of Salon on the topic of Harry Potter, the series not so nice author, and how the fans separate one from the other or not. I was just going to share the article on Twitter with a brief comment, but the comment was starting to become a thread. Anyhow, here goes.
The article is something for the fans she still has left to think about.
Personally, I never cared for the HP books, never read them, they were just not my thing. I will disclose that for the most part, YA fiction in general is not my thing, but I am live and let live. If it makes you happy and you enjoy, have at it. If you come to my library, we do have her books, and I am glad to help you find them. I am a librarian as well. For me, given J.K.'s vocal bigotry, I am even less likely to engage with anything of hers. For me, she is on the same shit list as bigots like Orson Scott Card.
Having said that, I know folks who do their best to separate her from the works they have come to embrace and love. I have family members who are big fans and remain loyal to the works despite their author. Pretty much nothing is going to get them to just discard those works, and that is OK for them. I think every reader needs to decide where they draw their lines. And just when things were quiet, HBO decides to bring out a new live action series and stir the pot again.
For me, this quote from the article sums it up:
". . .I think the courageous, or at least right, stance for me personally to take is against someone who continues to dehumanize already-marginalized communities, no matter how beloved she, and the world she created, once were to me."
For me, it is a bit easier to make the stand because her works did not interest me in the first place. In the case of Scott Card, I did read and enjoy Ender's Game in younger days, but that is pretty much it. I did recently watch the film adaptation of Ender's Game, but that was via TubiTv, i.e. it was free to me. I mainly watched it because well, it was available and free, and I was curious, but it was not something I was actively looking for. More like a bit of serendipity. Overall, he nor his estate will get a penny from me.
In the end, I will be honest. I do not think any boycott matters at this point. I mean, boycott away if moved, but have no delusions it will make a difference. The woman already made her millions, and if the HP franchise somehow went broke, crashed, burned, and gone, she will be fine.
And there it goes.
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