Author J.K. Rowling fired back online after the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation unanimously voted to apologize for hosting a Harry Potter-themed event in Stanley Park, distancing itself from the author over her views on transgender issues.
Rowling posted a screenshot of park board commissioner Tom Digby’s statement on social media, mocking the board’s decision to “disavow” her. “I wasn’t aware they’d ‘avowed’ me in the first place,” she quipped, adding that she’d happily accept a “certificate of avowal” to frame above her computer and take a selfie with.
On Tuesday, the board voted to apologize for hosting the Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience, which is scheduled to open on November 7. The decision followed concerns raised by Vancouver’s 2SLGBTQ+ Advisory Committee, which argued that Rowling’s activism has harmed transgender communities.
Digby said the motion was intended to apologize for the harm caused to transgender people by hosting the event and to publicly distance the board from Rowling’s political positions. He called it a concrete step to affirm the board’s support for transgender, gender diverse, and two-spirit communities in Vancouver.
Rowling’s sarcastic response quickly gained attention online, reigniting debate over the intersection of cultural events, public institutions, and the author’s controversial views.