J.K. Rowling, author of the "Harry Potter" series, recently shared a tweet from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), an organization that advocates for censorship. Rowling supported NCOSE's "The Dirty Dozen" campaign, which targets companies for alleged sexual exploitation.

Rowling's Endorsement of NCOSE

On October 1, J.K. Rowling tweeted in support of NCOSE's "The Dirty Dozen" campaign. This campaign is an annual effort by NCOSE to identify entities that they claim benefit from and facilitate sexual exploitation. Rowling's tweet occurred within a larger discussion where she criticized the platform Discord for "hosting graphic content and failed to verify user ages."

Rowling shared data from NCOSE, an organization founded in 1961, to illustrate what she described as "incidents arising out of adult contact with minors on Discord." She included a screencapture of a list of these alleged cases, stating they were "as reported by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation." Rowling then added that NCOSE placed Discord on its "Dirty Dozen List" in 2021. NCOSE has previously targeted various social media platforms, including Twitter, through this campaign. The organization has also included mainstream publications like Sports Illustrated, which they have labeled "hardcore pornography," and the entire state of Nevada, for not criminalizing sex workers, on past iterations of their list.

NCOSE has advocated for over six decades in the U.S. for state and corporate censorship of books and other media containing sexual content. The organization's stated core objective is to "eliminate all pornography." NCOSE has seen its funding increase over the last two years.

Rowling's Stance on Trans Rights and Censorship

Rowling's endorsement of NCOSE comes amidst her ongoing campaign against the rights of trans individuals in the U.K. and Scotland. The BBC reported that Rowling supported a protest rally by wearing a T-shirt that called Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon a "destroyer of women's rights." Rowling tweeted a photo of herself as demonstrators gathered outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. The protest aimed to pressure Sturgeon to reverse a proposal to make sex recognition a "less degrading, invasive and traumatic" process.

Jacqui Higgins-Dailey, in an article titled "J.K. Rowling’s Magical Thinking is Censorship," noted the irony in Rowling's recent actions, given that the "Harry Potter" series is frequently challenged and featured during ALA’s Banned Books Week. Higgins-Dailey stated that Rowling "silences the real, lived experiences of trans people," which is described as "banning a narrative that is not only crucial to the feminist and social justice movement but to humanity as well."

Higgins-Dailey cited an example of Rowling's rhetoric, where Rowling said, "Some [young women] say they decided to transition after realising they were same-sex attracted, and that transitioning was partly driven by homophobia, either in society or in their families." Higgins-Dailey interpreted this as Rowling insinuating that transitioning is an easier way to avoid discrimination for being gay and implying that those who transition "do not know what they actually want." This is likened to the idea that women seeking abortions need a "waiting period." Higgins-Dailey concluded that Rowling is "shushing trans people and telling them they don’t know what’s best for them," and "telling them biologic sex matters more – and speaks louder."

Historical Context of "Harry Potter" Censorship

The "Harry Potter" series itself has been a frequent target of censorship efforts. In the U.S., these books shifted the focus of censorship in schools and libraries. Before 1999, challenges typically concerned sex, the human body, or "inappropriate" language. This shifted to focus on the fantasy and glorification of magic and the occult, with concerns that the books confused children and tempted them to try spells and curses. There were also concerns about violence and the increasingly dark tone of later books, but most censorship attempts were for religious reasons. The series was also banned in some Christian schools in the UK.

Judy Blume, in an article titled "Is Harry Potter Evil?", discussed the calls for the removal of the "Harry Potter" books from classrooms and school libraries in states including Minnesota, Michigan, New York, California, and South Carolina. Parents in these areas felt the books promoted interest in the occult. Blume noted that while her own books were often challenged for perceived corrupting reality, with "Harry Potter," the perceived danger was fantasy, specifically that the stories teach witchcraft, sorcery, and satanism.

The backlash to Rowling's blog post and tweets has led some independent bookstores to remove her titles from their shelves. Jarek Steele, co-owner of Left Bank Books, stated that private businesses choose not to support causes or beliefs that go against their values. Steele added, "We know we’ll hear cries of censorship and First Amendment rights violations. We’ll remind you that there are millions of books that aren’t on our shelves. We curate. It’s our job."

Key Facts

  • J.K. Rowling tweeted support for NCOSE's "The Dirty Dozen" campaign on October 1.
  • NCOSE, founded in 1961, advocates for censorship of sexual content and aims to "eliminate all pornography."
  • Rowling criticized Discord for "hosting graphic content and failed to verify user ages," using NCOSE data to illustrate alleged "incidents arising out of adult contact with minors."
  • Rowling has engaged in a campaign against the rights of trans individuals, including supporting a protest against Nicola Sturgeon's proposal for sex recognition.
  • The "Harry Potter" series has been frequently challenged and banned, primarily for its themes of magic and the occult.
  • Some independent bookstores have removed Rowling's titles due to her views on trans rights.