Well, I Tried.
Two months ago, I wrote “An Open Letter to John Lithgow: Please Walk Away From Harry Potter“. At the time of writing it, Lithgow hadn’t yet officially accepted the role of Dumbledore in the upcoming HBO TV adaptation of Harry Potter. I knew it was a long shot that he’d see it, never mind walk away from the project, but I had to try.
A few days ago, I was shocked to find out that Lithgow had seen my letter. In fact, it was texted to him by “a very good friend who is the mother of a trans child”. When asked whether his friend’s plea for him to leave this transphobic franchise affected his thoughts on the role, he said, “Oh, heavens no.”
As you might expect, I have a lot of thoughts about this experience.
Exclusive content for All Access members continues below.
First, some background.
I didn’t want to write that letter. It’s hard to overstate how much of a Harry Potter fan I was for most of my life. I waited in line 12 hours for the final book and the final movie. I went to two different Harry Potter conventions in a different country. I ran a semi-successful Harry Potter-themed tumblr. I spent my first paycheck on wizarding robes.
I was already falling out of love with Harry Potter in 2017, between the valid criticisms of the original series (racism, antisemitism, sexism, fatphobia—and yes, warning signs of transphobia), the lackluster recent additions to the series like Cursed Child, and the casting of Fantastic Beasts.
When JK Rowling’s transphobia became common knowledge, my love for the original stories was fully tainted. I no longer feel nostalgia for those books, but disappointment, betrayal, and anger. JK Rowling is no longer an author first: she’s an anti-trans activist above all else. Just look at her Twitter feed. She’s obsessed with attacking marginalized people and calling it feminism. If her cigar-smoking picture celebrating the loss of trans rights in the UK isn’t illustrative, I don’t know what is.
I didn’t want to have to write that open letter, because just thinking Harry Potter and JK Rowling is depressing and enraging.
At the same time, it felt like something I could do. It’s so easy to feel powerless when fighting the rise of fascism worldwide at the moment. But this tiny little corner, this was in my wheelhouse. I could use the platform I have to try to make a difference. Even if I couldn’t shut down the TV show or get John Lithgow to walk away, maybe I could influence the conversation somewhat. Maybe, in some universe, it could get enough traction to reach him.
And weirdly enough, that was our universe.
It doesn’t surprise me that Lithgow didn’t care about JK Rowling transphobia. Anyone who cares would likely have not entertained the idea of working with her in the first place. It’s not like she’s hiding her agenda.
But I’m proud that I tried. I wrote the most hand-holding, gentle article tailored specifically to Lithgow and his ego: if that and a personal friend’s request didn’t break through, nothing would.
And this story has been circulated up all over: Rolling Stone, Variety, Entertainment Weekly, and even Fox News (yikes). I’ve seen it discussed on Bluesky, Reddit, and TikTok.
Regardless of that letter’s impact on Lithgow, I’m happy that it did influence the conversation, even just for a moment. I hope it dissuades other actors, companies, influencers, etc from being associated with the series. I hope it reinforces the message that the Harry Potter franchise is now inextricably tied to JK Rowling’s hateful beliefs and actions.
The fact that Lithgow got that text from a friend with a trans kid I hope shows how callous the decision to sign on with the series is. It’s hard for me to imagine how people think Lithgow is the good guy in that situation, if you have any decency at all.
It’s also strange to see my writing, usually in its little corner of the bookish internet, mentioned in mainstream publications. I’ve been bracing for hateful pushback (especially after Fox News covered it), but I haven’t gotten any yet.
When I wrote that open letter, I did it because I wanted to use the voice I have, the resources and platform that I have, to their greatest possible impact, and I’m proud to say that I have. It may not have upended the world, but it did something. It’s a good reminder that while we may not have as much individual power as we’d like to fight back against bigotry, we all have our spheres of influence, and we should use them as much as we can.
Thank you to anyone who read and shared that open letter. It’s thanks to you that it made it to Lithgow and is being discussed now. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.
