January 12 2026, 08:15 
Trans rights activists protested a production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at London’s Palace Theatre last Sunday, writing a series of chalk messages urging fans to avoid seeing the show.
Photos of the sidewalk near the theater show messages like, “Harry Potter tattoos have a higher regret rate than transition.” Another reads, “Spread love, not hate. Boycott Harry Potter.”
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The action was organized by Defund Transphobes, which holds “chalk&talk” events all over the country involving both writing messages and chatting with folks about what it means to be trans. In particular, they have targeted the areas near Waterstones bookstores. The chain has a large partnership with Harry Potter and centers the books and merchandise in its stores.
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The group has engaged in peaceful disruption inside Waterstones stores, too, like holding a funeral for Harry Potter in some locations over the summer.
One of the group’s main objectives is to help folks understand that the money they spend on the Harry Potter franchise now goes directly to anti-trans causes.
Rowling has moved from merely speaking out against trans identity to using her vast fortune to fund the rollback of U.K. civil protections for trans people.
The author’s JK Rowling Women’s Fund (JKRWF) has been quietly operating since late 2024 to support legal cases focusing on dismantling trans rights.
The fund is just her latest effort to end trans women’s rights in the U.K. In February 2024, she pledged a £70,000 (about $89,000) to For Women Scotland (FWS), the anti-trans organization behind the legal challenge that resulted in the U.K. Supreme Court’s ruling that excluded trans women from the country’s law prohibiting sex-based discrimination.
In one particularly cruel gesture, Rowling posted a celebratory photo of herself after the U.K. Supreme Court ruled that trans women are not to be considered women under the 2010 Equality Act.
In the photo, Rowling sits on a balcony overlooking the ocean, holding a cocktail and smoking a cigar while wearing a self-satisfied smirk.
“I love it when a plan comes together,” she wrote, adding “#SupremeCourt #WomensRights” to ensure people knew exactly what she was referring to.
According to The Guardian, the Harry Potter franchise is worth an estimated $25 billion. In a May 28 Bluesky post, British barrister Jolyon Maugham wondered how much of Rowling’s fortune would be spent “oppressing a minoritised group she doesn’t like.”
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