HBO’s new “Harry Potter” series has made rounds on the Internet after its initial trailer was released. Responses have been met with mixed views. Who exactly is it for? Woke circles slam the show for its direct link to the author, J.K. Rowling, who has come under fire for her trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF) views. Meanwhile, right-wing conservatives are losing their minds over a black actor, Paapa Essiedu, playing Severus Snape.

It was in 1997 when the story of the “boy who lived” made waves across the world when “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”—or “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” as everyone outside the UK came to know it—first hit the bookshelves. Since then, it has propelled to becoming one of the best-selling book series of all time, having sold over 600 million copies to date. As it reached its peak, a movie series helped cement its domination in pop culture with then unknown actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson starring as the franchise’s protagonists, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Now, over 15 years since its last film debuted, a revival series with a fresh cast is set to premiere on HBO. It has also seen success in other media forms, such as video games, after EA released the “Hogwarts Legacy” game back in 2023.

Despite being a global powerhouse of a franchise, the story of Harry Potter faces a dementor to its legacy: the author herself. In recent years, J.K. Rowling has become a magnet for controversy by being vocal about her TERF views online. It stemmed from a 2020 tweet of hers deemed misogynistic toward trans women. “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction,” reads her tweet. “If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.” She proceeded to publish an essay on her website declaring her disapproval of allowing trans people to use bathrooms according to their gender alignment, and her take on other related issues, which many deemed to be anti-trans. It was enough to spark immediate backlash from longtime fans (referred to as “Potterheads”), even going so far as to have Daniel, Rupert, and Emma make a joint statement condemning her views. J.K. has also received backlash for donating ₱6.1 million (£70,000) to the anti-transgender organization For Women Scotland in 2024. She has gone as far as to start her own foundation, the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund, where she uses her personal fortune to provide “legal funding support to individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s and girls’ sex-based rights in all aspects of life, including the workplace, sports and clubs, and protected single-sex spaces.”

Many would argue that the continued enjoyment of the Potter franchise is a non-issue. By separating the author from her work, there’s no harm done. Some also point out that new iterations of her writing are working to be more progressive. “Hogwarts Legacy” had a trans non-playable character, after all, and some members of the new cast, like John Lithgow (Dumbledore), Nick Frost (Hagrid), and Paapa Essiedu (Severus Snape), even distance themselves from her views. Paapa even signed a letter calling for industry action on trans rights. Yet, for every purchase of her books, every visit to a theme park, every Butterbeer, Hogwarts house merch, and Golden Snitches bought, J.K. receives an estimated ₱1.2 billion ($20 million) yearly to spend in any manner she pleases. And yes, that includes funding her anti-trans agenda.