Visitors and local residents will gather in downtown Staunton this weekend to celebrate their love of JK Rowling‘s Harry Potter books, which were later made into films.
But not everyone celebrates a weekend focused on the creative works of Rowling, who in 2020 made it clear she does not support the LGBTQ+ community.
A Staunton resident, who wishes to go by the name Jessica, identifies as queer and read the books in high school.
“And like a lot of queer kids, there was a huge sense of identity,” Jessica, 40, said.
The books send a message to youth about standing up for themselves, and queer children can identify with that struggle. But LGBTQ is not mentioned or represented in any of the books.
Jessica described the books as a “narrative about learning to be who you are and accepting that against all odds.”
She refers to Rowling as a gender essentialist, who believes that trans men are still women.
“And it feels like a betrayal by Rowling,” Jessica said.
Staunton’s Queen City Mischief & Magic event began in 2016, before Rowling’s true feelings about LGBTQ+ were revealed. On social media, QCMM volunteers shared in 2020 their support for the LGBTQ+ community.
“As we listen more thoughtfully than ever to our LGBTQIA+ fans and community members of color, we are changed. The road ahead is long, challenging and not soon over. But we believe it is worth it. We stand for inclusivity and equal rights,” volunteers posted.
The event’s volunteers wrote that they love and value everyone “in its magic community. We support trans/non binary bodies, the LGBTQIA+ community, and believe that Black Lives Matter.”
“The problem that I see, at this point, is this festival has become such a juggernaut,” Jessica said. QCMM is a big deal for Staunton and is very closely tied to local small businesses, tourism and revenue.
For Jessica, the Harry Potter-branded merch sold during QCMM is a problem.
“Because that’s cash that goes into Rowling’s pocket,” she said.
Staunton does what it can to welcome LGBTQ, including with the Shenandoah Valley LGBTQ+ Center, yet supports an event about books written by an author who is anti-LGBTQ.
“But she has such a legacy now, that it’s hard to separate that fully,” Jessica said.
She and her family, which includes two young children, do not attend QCMM events.
“How do you really have that conversation about separating the art from the artist with your kids?”
She still has her Harry Potter books on a shelf at home, because they were purchased before Rowling expressed her feelings about LGBTQ+. But if she takes her children to QCMM, a conversation explaining to them why they cannot buy merchandise would be difficult.
Jessica said she would like to see acknowledgment “that the creator of this world created harm” for a specific section of the population in Staunton.
“It’s a legal genocide and [QCMM is] enabling it,” Jessica said of QCMM, which she believes contributes to more discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.
A full schedule of QCMM events is available online.
Related stories:
Staunton: Queen City Mischief & Magic creates weekend escape (augustafreepress.com)
Staunton: Queen City Mischief & Magic races raise funding for Blue Ridge CASA (augustafreepress.com)
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Rebecca Barnabi
