A bookbinder has removed JK Rowling’s name from Harry Potter novels amid the uproar over the author’s alleged ‘transphobia’ – and replaced them with new covers, retailing for £140 each.
Artist Laur Flom embarked on the project to create a “safe space” for fans who struggle to connect with the writer’s point of view.
The 23-year-old started the project which began in January 2022 amid backlash against Rowling – who denies that her stance is discriminatory – over controversial comments she has made about the transgender community in recent years.
Laur, who lives in Toronto, Canada, explains, “The project is spurred on by her transphobia.
A bookbinder has removed JK Rowling’s (pictured) name from Harry Potter novels amid the uproar over the author’s alleged ‘transphobia’ – and replaced it with new covers, retailing for £140 each
Artist Laur Flom embarked on the project to create a “safe space” for fans who struggle to connect with the writer’s point of view
The traditional cover of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is being removed
‘I was [a fan]. Growing up, it was a given that you would read Harry Potter.
“After JK Rowling’s opinion of people like me came out, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
It raised questions about the ethics of consuming her work.
The goal of this project is to create a safe space for fans to find solace in the books and engage critically with JK Rowling’s work.
‘This project is not about the ‘death of the author’, it can’t be.’
To recreate the books, Laur, who also works as a bartender, looks for second-hand copies of the series.
The covers and copyright pages will be removed and replaced with alternate versions.
Each book takes approximately 12 hours to rebind, not including the time it takes to pack and ship it to the buyer.
Laur spends about 15 hours a week on the project, while continuing to work as a bartender at the same time.
The books retail for £979 for a set of seven and £140 for an individual book, with a percentage of each sale donated to transgender charities.
Laur’s work has generated some controversy from some viewers, but overall people have responded positively.
‘[The reactions are] mostly good, the majority of my comments are positive. My last video reached a strange part of TikTok and the response was mixed, but mostly good.
“I hope the impact of my project is to shed light on her transphobia and raise awareness of the things she has said.
“I get so many responses all I ask is what she did.
“I think it’s been successful so far, just the fact that people are interested makes me think it’s been successful.”
It is then replaced with an alternative cover, which Laur sells online for around £140
Each book takes approximately 12 hours to rebind, not including the time it takes to pack and ship to the buyer
Public backlash against the author’s views began in March 2018, when Rowling was criticized for liking a tweet that referred to trans women as “men in dresses.”
Then her tweet on June 6, 2020, in response to a headline referring to “people who menstruate,” sparked further criticism, with some seeing it as a direct attack on the trans community.
Many celebrities – including Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson – publicly spoke out against the author.
Days later, Rowling wrote in an online essay that her interest in trans issues stemmed from being abusive and concerned about same-sex spaces.
In the blog post, she described what she thought were the five reasons she felt the need to talk about the issue.
These include her interest in “education as well as protection” and “freedom of expression.”
She explained her final reason, writing, “I have been in the public eye for over 20 years now and have never spoken publicly about being a victim of domestic violence and sexual assault.
“This is not because I’m ashamed that those things happened to me, but because they’re traumatic to look back on and remember.”
In December 2021, Rowling posted another controversial social media post ahead of the release of the trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
The author commented on a report that the Scottish Police would start recording rapes committed by offenders with male genitalia as committed by a woman if the attacker identifies as a woman.
Ms Rowling tweeted: ‘War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is Power. The person with a penis who raped you is a woman.”
More recently, the writer emphasized that she doesn’t feel “canceled” by the flood of criticism over the past three years.
It came as she announced she will be funding a new women-only service for victims of sexual assault.
Meanwhile, in November, an LGBTQ activist praised Rowling for her “courage” and told her followers that people are “burning the wrong witch” after she couldn’t find any evidence that the Harry Potter author is transphobic.
EJ Rosetta, a writer and columnist for HuffPost who has spoken out a lot about trans issues herself, said in a series of tweets that JK Rowling is “not an ‘unbearable transphobe,'” but stood up for women’s rights when she could have sat back.
Ms Rowling’s representatives declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.
.