Booksmith, a San Francisco bookstore owned by self-described “queer booklovers”, recently announced it is banning books by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling over Rowling’s pro-woman group.
The British author Rowling has taken a strong stand in the transgender battle, opposing men pretending to be women invading women’s and girls’ spaces and establishing the United Kingdom based private fund, J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund, “A legal fighting fund for women protecting their sex-based rights” for women in the UK and Ireland.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 29: J.K. Rowling attends “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” World Premiere at The Royal Festival Hall on March 29, 2022 in London, England. (Getty Images Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)
The Booksmith owners were triggered by Rowling’s statement last month she was self-funding the women’s group she founded and was not accepting donations, “I looked into all options and a private fund is the most efficient, streamlined way for me to do this. Lots of people are offering to contribute, which I truly appreciate, but there are many other women’s rights orgs that could do with the money, so donate away, just not to me!”
I looked into all options and a private fund is the most efficient, streamlined way for me to do this. Lots of people are offering to contribute, which I truly appreciate, but there are many other women’s rights orgs that could do with the money, so donate away, just not to me!
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 24, 2025
Booksmith statement:
Wizards, but not That Wizard
In May of 2025, author JK Rowling publicly committed to using her private wealth from the Harry Potter series to develop the “JK Rowling Women’s Fund,” an organization dedicated to removing transgender rights “in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces.”
With this announcement, we’ve decided to stop carrying her books. We don’t know exactly what her her “women’s fund” will entail, but we know that we aren’t going to be a part of it.
As a group of queer booksellers, we also had our adolescence shaped by wizards and elves. Look at us, it’s obvious. If you or someone you love wants to dive into the world of Harry Potter, we suggest doing so by buying used copies of these books.
Or, even better, please find below a list of bookseller-curated suggestions for books we genuinely love that also might fit the HP brief for you and yours. Many are series; some are standalone. Books for the younger folks are listed first, switching to teen/YA about halfway through (the book Wise Child is the first in the YA section).
Questions? Concerns? orders at booksmith dot com.
Happy reading, solidarity forever.
Info from the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund website:
About the fund
The J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund (JKRWF) offers legal funding support to individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces. It provides women with the means and confidence to bring to justice cases that make legal precedents, force policy change, and make positive contributions to women’s lives in the future.
What we fund
We fund legal representation for women and organisations who:
Have lost their livelihoods or are facing tribunals because of their expressed beliefs
Are being forced to comply with unreasonable inclusion policies regarding single sex spaces and services, or female-only clubs and events
Are challenging legislation which takes away the freedoms or protections women are entitled to
Don’t have adequate means to bring actions to court or to defend themselves
The JKRWF does not hire a lawyer on your behalf, so you must already have sought legal representation, and have a clear desired outcome to your case.
How to apply
If this sounds like you, fill out one of the eligibility checklists below – there’s one for individuals and one for organisations. If the answer to any of the questions is no, then the Fund is not for you. If it’s a yes to all of them, you can proceed to the online application form.
After initial screening, applications go through a rigorous assessment by the JKRWF board. Awards are at the discretion of the board, and limited to closely defined legal actions with a clear goal and timespan. Please note the JKRWF is a private fund, not a charity or a trust, and does not accept donations.
On the same front page of their website announcing their ban of Harry Potter and other J.K. Rowling books, Booksmith features an announcement it is participating in a “Books Not Bans” campaign to send “queer, affirmative” books to people in areas of the U.S. that have ‘banned books’:
Introducing Books Not Bans
Step right up, dear readers. We’re joining our comrades at Fabulosa Books in a drive called BOOKS NOT BANS. From now until forever, we’re accepting donations that we’ll use to send crates of queer, affirmative, necessary books all over the country to people who need them. These are going to people who desperately need them but who live in book deserts and communities where new book bans are rolling out daily. We don’t need to tell you things are serious out there: this is a lifeline for people whose lives and wellbeing are in danger.
We have the great good fortune to exist in a space where we’re able to feature, read, talk about and sell absolutely any books we like: as individuals, we’ve fought hard to be able to make a life in San Francisco that gives us access to that kind of freedom, and now we’re extending a hand to people who need our help.
To donate, simply ask to buy any quantity of $10 book vouchers in the shop or add them to your cart on our website. Every dollar will be used to directly funnel queer books into the hands of people who need them. For the safety of our partner organizations, the recipients of our donation crates will remain anonymous.
If you hear about our program and want to connect us to another group who wants to serve as a distribution location, please share and email Fabulosa Books at info [at] fabulosabooks [dot] com.
love,
the Booksmith
a little more info on BOOKS NOT BANS:
1. we run it all year long
2. you can ALWAYS participate, in store or online
3. 100% of your donation goes to the project
4. it is more important now than ever before! https://t.co/pxx7FS3m6I pic.twitter.com/0UeqpynKi7
— The Booksmith (@Booksmith) December 12, 2024
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