J.K. Rowling Changed My Life With Harry Potter, Now She’s Kicking Ass On Twitter!

By Lipi Mehta: 

15 years ago, my sister handed me a book with a red cover which had a train and a bespectacled boy on it. The title read, ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’. She put it in my hands and said the two words that would change my life forever: “Read it.” At age 10, I was hooked. Over the years, I have re-read the entire Harry Potter series and found strength and new meaning in J. K. Rowling’s writing. Her characters aren’t afraid of accepting themselves and more importantly, many of them push each other to be better friends, more courageous human beings. I have learned some of my life’s biggest lessons from Harry Potter and needless to say, I was beyond excited in 2011 when Rowling joined Twitter and gave me (and the world!) a deeper insight into who she is as a person; into who created these characters and stories in the first place. In the last few years, she has become more and more active on the social media platform and taken a stand on diverse issues such as the Scottish independence referendum and oppression against refugees, and spoken out against the institutionalisation of children through her charity, Lumos.

Here are 10 instances where Rowling’s has stood up for equal rights and proven that one doesn’t become the world’s most beloved writer just like that!

1. When she proudly stated that the world’s most powerful wizard was gay and stood up for LGBT+ rights.

2. When she had to explain how Harry living in a ’cupboard under the stairs’ didn’t mean that she thought it was a ‘practical solution’… but she did it anyway.

3. All the work that she does against the institutionalisation of children through her charity, Lumos.

(And this heartbreaking tweet.)

4. When she shared this photo of people trying to ‘free’ Dobby in the Warner Brothers Studio Tour.

At various instances, Dobby and the other house elves in the Harry Potter series have been regarded as what comes closest to slavery in the wizarding world. Readers’ unity against the oppression of house elves gives us hope of how we have it in us to unite against the ill-treatment of minorities.

5. When she won this match fair and square AND silenced sexism…without even using the Imperius Curse.

Also, go Serena Williams! 

6. Earlier this year, someone tweeted this:

Rowling looked at the bigger picture and in one tweet, she tackled online abuse as a whole, suggesting just how pervasive it is.

A fan asked her why she would even ‘dignify that thing with a comment’, to which she responded:

7. The time she sent a powerful response to Hagar El-Saeed, who said that people laugh at her when she says she is a writer.

8. On the debate over the cultural boycott in Israel

Last month, Rowling took a stand against the cultural boycott in Israel, signing a letter by The Guardian, stating that, “At a time when the stigmatisation of religions and ethnicities seems to be on the rise, […] cultural boycotts are divisive, discriminatory and counter-productive.” Many fans questioned this stand and said that “Harry wouldn’t approve”. She wrote a powerful response to this stating that in the last book, Harry goes against his instinct of rushing into action, against his natural inclination to fight, and has to pause and assess how the war really can be won – just like in Israel, “It satisfies the human urge to do something, anything, in the face of horrific human suffering,” but that might not be a long-term solution. Read her full statement here.

9. On cyber bullying

She shared a poem by Musa Okwonga on cyber bullying, to which a fan said that “Bullies are kinda like dementors. Just sit back and let them starve to death.” Rowling replied to this with a two-part response on why silence is not the way forward:

10. And finally, when she had this adorable conversation with Shedd Aquarium and helped name this orphaned otter!

I think it’s time to revisit the shelf where magic happens and see what else Rowling has in store for us!

Lumos, let there be light.