Harry Potter has been on the Banned Books list since the beginning – since its publication in the late 90’s, which was also the first decade for which the ALA has been keeping lists of which books were most challenged by decade and why.
Of course, the original reasons for being challenged were because it was thought to promote witchcraft and/or satanism, some saw it as anti-Christian, etc. Of course, if you’ve read the books – even just the first – you know that’s not the case. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is closed for the Christmas and Easter holidays (and those holidays are referred to by name). There is a lot of Christian allegory in the books. In the last book, it’s revealed that Harry’s parent are buried in a church cemetery.
But the books also deal with (fantasy) racism, classism, and segregation, leading many to applaud the series for addressing these themes.
You may recall late in the filming of the series, J. K. Rowling came out with the information that she intended Dumbledore to be gay. This of course caused a hue and cry from some conservative sectors, while receiving praise from those looking for more inclusivity in books. In fact, many had already seen Remus Lupin’s condition of and shunning for being a werewolf as an allegory for the HIV and AIDS victims who had been ostracized in the later decades of the 20th century.
And now… if you’ve been following Twitter and media trends in the past year or so, you have probably heard that Rowling has come under fire for transphobic tweets. Those who just a few years ago lauded and hailed her as a paragon of inclusivity and acceptance are now shying away, telling people not to support her as an author, not to buy her books.
It's very strange to me. A series that has been so on fire, so popular, so integral in the development and culture of my generation and those who came after… Its fire of controversy blazed, waned, blazes again…
What will we think of Harry Potter next year? In 10 years? In 100?