JK Rowling has been removed from a Harry Potter exhibit at the Seattle-based Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), which in a recent blog post called the author a “cold, heartless, joy-sucking entity”.
Project manager Chris Moore, who is transgender, authored the post, which was published in May. In it, Moore explained the museum’s decision to airbrush Rowling from the display due to her “transphobic viewpoints”.
“There’s a certain cold, heartless, joy-sucking entity in the world of Harry Potter and, this time, it is not actually a Dementor,” Moore wrote.
“We would love to go with the internet’s theory that these books were actually written without an author, but this certain person is a bit too vocal with her super hateful and divisive views to be ignored.”
“Super hateful and divisive views”
Moore added: “We’re left concerned for our transgender siblings and wondering if or when our own existence will be outlawed.”
The post explained that the museum’s curators “decided to remove any of [Rowling’s] artifacts from this gallery to reduce her impact”.
“It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s what we were able to do in the short-term while determining long-term practices,” the post continued.
“MoPOP is proud to support our employees and unequivocally stands with non-binary and transgender communities,” the museum told the Telegraph.
“In an increasingly divided world, pop culture can unite, inspire, and spark important conversations.”
For the exhibit, the museum has kept the Harry Potter memorabilia on display, but Rowling’s name is not mentioned anywhere, the Daily Mail reports.
Earlier this year, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo opened to guests with a ceremony attended by Draco Malfoy star Tom Felton.
Elsewhere, Miral is opening a new Wizarding World land at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, and Universal’s Epic Universe is likely to include a Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
