“Keep your nose in a book – and keep other people’s noses out of which books you choose to stick your nose into!”
― Art Spiegelman
I’ll tell you what – in my household, I have a pile of books that I have banned, and I speak as a person who has found the campaign to keep The Hate U Give from the curriculum at Budmouth Academy to be obnoxious, authoritarian and arrogant.
Personal banning is quite a different kettle of fish to imposing one’s own opinions and prejudices on anyone else.
The books in question? The Harry Potter series. And why? Because Rowling’ s campaign against transgender women has tainted them forever in my heart and in my eyes.
Of course, Rowling is entitled to her opinion about anything. However, to have that turn into a damaging campaign, over five years, of mocking and demonising a protected minority group, spreading misinformation, and going so far as funding court cases against them is way beyond the bounds of acceptability. And that’s MY opinion, to which I’m entitled.
I won’t read any of her books or watch any of the films or the TV series she’s involved in, and even hearing Hedwig’s Theme on Classic FM turns my stomach.
So imagine my reaction when a very good friend of mine was (heaven help us all!) asking me what I’d like for the C-word event in December. Imagine the expression on my face when she suggested the latest Robert Galbraith book, which I believe is called ‘The Hallmarked Man.’
She was quite taken aback at my vehement, ‘ABSOLUTELY NOT, I won’t contribute anything to the coffers of that unspeakable woman.’
‘What have you got against JK Rowling?’ she said, baffled. You’d think she hardly knew me at all…
So I told her!
In a bookshelf along the upstairs corridor, I have a complete set of Harry Potter books, which make sick come up into my mouth every time I pass.
What to do? I was thinking of selling them and donating the profits to Mermaids. Apparently, Rowling found the idea of composting her books unacceptable, so there is that option – adding being kind to the planet to the destruction of children’s literature by problematic authors. And another friend known to Dorset Eye – The Inimitable Beck – has this inventive idea: “My plan is to purchase her books from charity shops, then use them to make papier-mâché trans flag badges. When I get round to it.” Or I could just have a great big bonfire.
It goes without saying that my feelings and any actions I take will make no difference whatsoever to Rowling or her merry band of anti-trans disciples. It’s too late for that.
What I can do and do do is support causes and people directly or indirectly damaged by Rowling’s pronouncements. And use my purchasing power to make sure she never receives a penny of royalties from me.
But would I have her books banned from libraries or schools or from anyone else’s personal collections? Of course I wouldn’t.
Curly Caroline is often to be seen haunting Facebook comment threads with her outrageous leftie libtard views, speaking out for the rights of minority groups, particularly asylum seekers and transgender folk.
Her anonymity is genuinely on police advice, due to being stalked and receiving multiple death threats from people who disagree with her.
