Where do we stand on Harry Potter?

[Imaculata]

I don't support Rowling or Card, do what you want, like what you want.

But this is a public forum. And I didn't realize being considerate of others was such a heavy burden, why even asking for it, I might lose your sympathy and that would be the worst thing in the world. Surely such a great and stalwart ally, lost forever to the burden of ... not bringing up fiction created by someone who is participating in stochastic terrorism aimed at trans people. Truly I know the great forbearance and suffering you must toil under. Oh woe and lamentation, surely a most vile and criminal form of censorship is the treatment of others with respect!!! But I understand that the abominable act of asking anything of an ally is the surest way to lose their allegiance. Truly, such a Catch-22, as the comfort and safety of one's allies might be risked by actually asking them to do anything to prove they are allies! Oh, how all friendships are under the fairest of weather.

Another way to look at it:

If you dictate to your friends what media they should consume, and break friendships if they read, listen, watch or play something you don't like... are you really a friend?

I believe a Potter fan that wants to run a Hogwarts campaign, should be able to do so. And I believe they should be able to discuss that campaign on this forum, without us presuming they are horrible bigots who support Rowlings heinous point of view.

 

[John R Davis]

No, but apparently forced to use men's restrooms and be incarcerated in men's prisons if jailed. And neither of those are going to be conducive to their health.

It really really is complicated, in a small % of issues/cases. Think body searches, safe refuge, sport and such. What if he prisoner in the case above is a multiple rapist ( they can't go in a women's prison, rest room, etc)
Hence a big law issue in Scotland at the moment for example, and the rest of the UK in due course.

 

[Maxperson]

Man I love Humboldt. Summer hits highs of 65, Winter hits lows of 55. It's like San Diego for people who hate the sun

Here in Los Angeles we range from 40 to 111.

 

[Maxperson]

It's always so funny when people find out I'm from northern California and assume I mean SF when in actuality SF is a five-hour drive straight south from me.

My brothers live up in Clearlake.

 

[Saracenus]

It's always so funny when people find out I'm from northern California and assume I mean SF when in actuality SF is a five-hour drive straight south from me.

Portlander here, my "cousin" was from Berzerkly and was up in your neck of the woods at Chico (U. of California)... Yeah, he was not a serious student... Party school!

 

[Gradine]

Portlander here, my "cousin" was from Berzerkly and was up in your neck of the woods at Chico (U. of California)... Yeah, he was not a serious student... Party school!

Lol, my sister went to CSU Chico; last I heard they had chilled out a bit, but it definitely had a reputation...

 

[billd91]

It really really is complicated, in a small % of issues/cases. Think body searches, safe refuge, sport and such. What if he prisoner in the case above is a multiple rapist ( they can't go in a women's prison, rest room, etc)
Hence a big law issue in Scotland at the moment for example, and the rest of the UK in due course.

I'm not sure it is that complicated. Surely prisons have dealt before with cis-gendered prisoners who have a history of sex crimes against same sex victims.
Sports can and should be dealt with on a sport-by-sport basis under the leadership of each sport's governing body.

But a significant part of the issue here is tarring every trans woman with the same brush as a very small percent of cases, no matter how sensationalized they have been by the press. Don't trans women deserve safer spaces than the male-dominated ones they no longer identify with and may, outwardly, no longer resemble? This is where Rowling and fellow transphobes are really falling down and her unceasing flogging of the issue fans the flames that lead to anti-trans legislation in Utah, South Dakota, Missouri, Florida, etc.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I've been thinking about this topic since it was posted. I don't feel that it is a good idea to ban mention of any IP which has problematic creators or producers--that's a lot of IP!--, but I hope it's very clear that we will ask people to leave if they espouse support for transphobic or racist views on this forum. So yes, you can mention Lethal Weapon, Cthulhu, the Lord of the Rings movies, Buffy, and, indeed, D&D, and so on. But when you do so, try to be aware that there are people involved with these properties who have done and said horrible things which affect your friends right here on these forums. The people you talk to about D&D with every day.

We want this place to be inclusive and welcoming, and we work hard to keep it that way, and we always expect our guests to respect each other. Personally, I'm very privileged and have never found myself in the position that many of our members do on a daily basis, but I try hard to understand how it feels to have your heroes say things which attack your very right to exist. I can't come close to imagining how it feels, but when my friends tell me how it makes them feel, I believe them.

Bolded the point for emphasis. It's important to remember that these issues affect people. Not faceless statistics, but people we know. People that have to deal with the consequences of people like Rowling's words and actions.

I guess "Go Woke, Go Broke" is just another form of projection?

It's always projection with them, isn't it?

 

[Gradine]

If you dictate to your friends what media they should consume, and break friendships if they read, listen, watch or play something you don't like... are you really a friend?

I think it's presumptuous to assume that I dictate anything to my friends. I've made how I personally feel about it very clear, and they know how important this issue is not just to me but trans people everywhere, and they make their own choice.

And here's where I've got to be perfectly frank: if they are capable of placing their own entertainment above the rights of trans people, we weren't going to be particularly good friends to begin with.

The hard truth of living life as a heavily targeted marginalized group is that it's a constant game of calculating who in your life you can count on in a pinch. Who will have your back in moments of oppression. Who is safe. And there's a lot of factors that go into that calculation that is constantly running in the back of our minds. It's not always easy to tell. But I see someone rocking a Ravenclaw scarf in this the year of someone's Lord 2023, and that answers a lot of questions for me.

 

[Gradine]

It's always projection with them, isn't it?

At least in the US, the Venn Diagram of "People who call trans people 'groomers'" and "People who think the legal age of consent in their jurisdiction is too high" is practically a circle.