Aussie store pulls Harry Potter books off shelves

A Perth book store says it will pull all JK Rowling books and those written under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith from its shelves after the author released a crime novel many have labelled transphobic. Maylands-based Rabble Books and Games shared the news in a Facebook post this week, telling customers the decision was an attempt to “make Rabble a safer space for our community”.
“Part of that is trying not to put books by transphobes on the shelves, when we know about them,” the post from owner Nat Latter said.
The store committed to no longer stocking new JK Rowling books and taking novels she wrote as Robert Galbraith off the shelves.
“Though we don’t sell many, we’re going to phase out the Harry Potter books too,” Ms Latter said.
The store said in future, the iconic children’s series could be ordered in, but would not be seen on the shelves, and any profits from a Harry Potter book sold would now be donated to Trans Folk of WA.
Ms Latter explained that while stocking a book was not an endorsement, “there are more worthy books to put on the shelf – books that don’t harm communities and won’t make us sad to unpack them”.
JK Rowling has been widely criticised for her views on transgender people, and tweets regularly about gender dysphoria – where a person feels unease about their biological gender.
In the past, her comments have sparked backlash from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who played Harry, Hermione and Ron in the Harry Potter movies.
Her crime writing pseudonym, Robert Galbraith, has been linked to Robert Galbraith Heath, an American psychologist who helped develop gay conversion therapy.
Ms Rowling has previously denied the link, claiming the first name was chosen after Robert F Kennedy and the surname being one she had wished she had as a child.
Most recently, an excerpt of her new book Troubled Blood, which described a male killer who dressed in women’s clothing, caused an uproar.
The hashtag RIPJKRowling went viral on Twitter while Amazon was forced to suspend reviewing of the book due to “unusual activity” on the page.
hannah.moore1@news.com.au