Indie bookshop invites customers to vandalise Harry Potter book in trans fundraiser
An independent bookshop is letting customers vandalise a Harry Potter book to raise funds for trans healthcare (Supplied)
An independent UK bookshop is inviting customers to vandalise Harry Potter books to raise money for trans healthcare.
The Bookish Type, a trans-owned bookstore in Leeds and the only trans woman owned bookshop in England, is offering visitors the chance to deface copies of Harry Potter for just 25p.
All proceeds from the initiative will go towards supporting gender-affirming healthcare costs.
In a statement given to PinkNews, The Bookish Type said: “We came up with this idea a few weeks ago as a silly and cathartic way to raise money for five local trans people.
READ MORE: John Lithgow considered quitting Harry Potter reboot over JK Rowling’s trans views
“It was originally going to only be on our second hand Sunday event that we run every few months where we sell second hand books and give all the money towards local trans people’s healthcare costs, but we did it a week early and people love it!”
The bookshop plans to auction the book off once it is filled up: “Once this book is filled up we plan to auction it as a trans community art piece and donate the money we get.”
They are also planning on setting up an online donation page where they will personally deface a page of the book with personalised messages or doodles.
Harry Potter re-boot trailer released
The fundraiser comes as HBO released the first trailer for Harry Potter on Wednesday, 25 March.
Online commentary has been mixed, though there have been some common complaints.
One person said: “Harry Potter again and almost everything’s the same but we get rid of the insanely iconic soundtrack.”
Another said: “What’s the f****** point of this? Everything is the exact same as the movies, just with different actors and none of the charm.”
The magical franchise lost its magic for many fans after JK Rowling started sharing her controversial views on gender issues.
The author, who uses the male pen-name Robert Galbraith for her Cormoran Strike book series, is an executive producer on the HBO Harry Potter re-boot.
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