BuzzFeed Attaches ‘Trans Rights’ Disclaimer to All Harry Potter Content

Franchise creator J.K. Rowling has faced criticism for saying ‘sex is real’

Cole Carnick • January 4, 2022 11:30 am

BuzzFeed is attaching an editor’s note to its Harry Potter content to clarify that the media site does “not support discriminatory or hateful speech in any form.”

“We stand by the LGBTQ+ community and all fans who found a home in the Harry Potter series and will work to provide a safe space for fans,” the editor’s note reads. BuzzFeed’s statement also invites readers who are “impassioned about trans rights” to donate to the National Center for Transgender Equality, a nonprofit that “advocates to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people,” according to the group’s website.

BuzzFeed has included the anti-discrimination statement in all of its recent Harry Potter content, including online quizzes such as “I’m Revoking Your Hogwarts Acceptance Letter If You Can’t Identify 75% Of These Harry Potter Parents” and “Only Someone Who’s Watched The ‘Harry Potter’ Series At Least 14 Times Can Correctly Match The Character To Their Iconic Quote.”

The editor’s note is an apparent response to controversy surrounding Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling and HBO’s new anniversary special for the wizarding franchise, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts. Early reports indicated the network omitted Rowling from the reunion special, which features interviews with former cast members, over the author’s allegedly “transphobic” views. The final cut features Rowling briefly, but the film producers included a Disclaimer that her interview was filmed in 2019.

In recent years, Rowling has faced criticism from left-wing activists for saying “sex is real.”

“If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased,” the Harry Potter creator tweeted in June 2020. “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.”

BuzzFeed stock has plummeted more than 40 percent since December, when the media company went public.