Trans activists forced a Harry Potter-themed panel at Comic Con to be cancelled due to ‘safety concerns’
TRANS activists forced a Harry Potter-themed panel at a comic book convention to be axed after claiming that it would make the LGBT+ community feel unsafe.
Their charity Switchboard threatened to end its involvement in the event following a backlash over Potter author JK Rowling’s trans views.
The axed panel was due to be put on by the production team of the West End play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
But a Switchboard spokesman said: “We were unaware of plans to feature any panels using the Harry Potter IP (intellectual property).
“Upon learning this, we felt compelled to express our concerns about the potential impact on our community, particularly trans individuals.”
The charity was due to take part in the convention by hosting a pride lounge — a quiet space for LGBT+ people to relax away from the main hall.
The Harry Potter panel was not being hosted in the lounge, but was being held at the same MCM London Comic Con event.
The row is part of the continued fallout from Rowling’s comments regarding women’s rights and gender.
They led to the writer—creator of the wizard tales that starred Daniel Radcliffe as Harry on screen — being accused of transphobia.
She had mocked an article in 2020 which discussed “people who menstruate” instead of women.
The LGBT+ activists protested that the inclusion of the panel did not meet the standards of a “safe and inclusive environment” that they had been promised by Comic Con.
But scores of outraged fans hit back at the decision to axe it.
TV broadcaster and comic Andrew Doyle said: “When will organisations stop capitulating to these ideologues?”
MCM London Comic Con said the decision to cancel the panel was a joint one.