Since JK Rowling’s transphobic Tweet and her controversial 3,700 word essay defending her stance became public, more and more Potterheads are coping with the embarrassment of being part of the problematic fandom. And creators around the world are coming up with functional ways to help the fandom out. LA-based tattoo artist and illustrator Molly Knox Ostertag is offering up free cover up tattoos to trans people who want to turn their Harry Potter tattoos into something else, and that too, for free.
Molly took to Twitter to reveal that she's offering free cover-up tattoos to trans people to help turn their Potter-verse tattoos into something else. For cisgender people she’s offering up cover-ups in exchange for a donation to the Trans Women of Colour Collective. Molly, who’s also a graphic novelist was a huge fan of the Potter-verse and revealed that the books have been hugely significant to her work. So, to help fellow Potterheads cope with Rowling’s transphobia, she’s helping them reclaim their space.
“For a lot of people, Harry Potter was an escape, a place they could imagine themselves when the real world was hard to deal with. It's such a betrayal to realize the person behind the story hates you, or hates people you love, and is promoting violent ideas that hurt marginalised people. I hope the coverup tattoos make people feel like they can reclaim the space for themselves,” Molly said, and also added that it’s difficult for her to separate the stories from the author.