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Barnes & Noble’s Unproblematic Wizard Books Display Draws Cheers Online
Barnes & Noble’s Unproblematic Wizard Books Display Draws Cheers Online
The bookseller seemingly takes a stand against "she who shall not be named" and her transphobic comments.
As J.K. Rowling continues to be the poster child for TERFs everywhere, a Barnes & Noble in New York City's Union Square made it clear it's ready to turn the page on the problematic author.
It all started when a Twitter user captured a photo of a very interesting display in the store. Under a sign that read "The Unproblematic Wizarding World" were stacks of books from various authors, including Ursula Le Guin, Alice Hoffman, and Deborah Harkness. Not included: any Harry Potter books whatsoever. While the author of the tweet seems to support the controversial author, captioning the photo "The JK Rowling slander is real in barnes and noble," many commenters applauded the bookstore's decision to subtly take a stand.
\u201c@FavoriteLadyS @JonBaker LMAOOO this brings me so much joy\u201d— Sir Lady (@Sir Lady) 1636584419
\u201c@FavoriteLadyS LMFAOOOO \ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23 would definitely buy all those books simply because of that sign alone \ud83d\ude02\u201d— Sir Lady (@Sir Lady) 1636584419
\u201c@FavoriteLadyS well they aren't wrong lol\u201d— Sir Lady (@Sir Lady) 1636584419
\u201c@FavoriteLadyS Oh no i feel so bad for the billionaire. They got called problematic. The horror.\u201d— Sir Lady (@Sir Lady) 1636584419
\u201c@FavoriteLadyS Slander implies that what people say about her is untrue. Which it is not :)\u201d— Sir Lady (@Sir Lady) 1636584419
None— Sir Lady (@Sir Lady) 1636584419
While the Barnes & Noble store's intent is in the right place, those on Twitter also pointed out where it may have missed the mark a bit when it comes to the authors included in the "unproblematic" stack -- specifically the inclusion of Brandon Sanderson, a devout Mormon who has repeatedly made homophobic comments (about Dumbledore's coming-out in one case) and spoken out against marriage equality.
The Barnes & Noble store verified the photo of the display but declined to comment on it, according to British tabloid The Daily Mail.
The author's supporters wrote on Twitter that the Barnes & Noble sign was "slander" and that the Harry Potter author should take legal action against the bookseller. That was shot down by other users who said that promoting other fantasy authors as "unproblematic" wasn't illegal.
