MOVIE NEWS – The ongoing storm around J.K. Rowling’s statements and heated online arguments over transgender rights has finally pushed a San Francisco bookstore to pull the Harry Potter series from its shelves. While no major book chain has made such a move, The Booksmith in Haight-Ashbury is taking a stand for those personally hurt by Rowling’s views.

Where the Potter books once sat, The Booksmith owners posted this statement:

“In May 2025, author J.K. Rowling publicly committed to using her private wealth from the Harry Potter series to develop the J.K. Rowling Woman’s Fund, an organization dedicated to removing transgender rights in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces.’ With this announcement, we’ve decided to stop carrying her books. We don’t know exactly what her new ‘woman’s fund’ will entail, but we know we aren’t going to be a part of it.
As a group of queer booklovers, we also had our adolescences shaped by wizards and elves. Look at us, it’s obvious. If you or someone you love wants to dive into the world of Harry Potter, we suggest you do so by buying used copies of these books.”

Of course, one shop’s protest won’t bankrupt Rowling, but it sends a signal that others could follow. Just as Rowling has the right to speak her mind, booksellers have the right to decide what they want on their shelves.

The Rowling Controversy Just Won’t Go Away

Though it feels recent, Rowling’s statements about trans women—and the backlash—go back almost five years. Her first social media comments suggested that trans women are “not real women” and should be treated as men. In response, Warner Bros. Pictures (before reworking Potter as a TV show) issued a statement that, while careful, distanced itself from the author.

Many prominent Potter actors have since weighed in—some defending Rowling, others condemning her, and a few opting out of the fight altogether. Not much has changed since: Rowling’s social media is still full of posts on the issue.

Now, with the Harry Potter TV show in production, renewed anger over Rowling’s earnings and statements has hit home for her critics. The Booksmith’s move may be unique, but every revolution starts small.

Source: NBC News