Lazy reporter is excited to find a way to talk smack about JK Rowling in an article about funding the Vancouver Parks department.

It’s a story bringing together two very different things that nonetheless regularly attract controversy: the Vancouver Park Board and the Harry Potter universe. 

Those are two very different things all right, but are they really being brought together? Or is the reporter just saying they are, because (yawn) funding parks doesn’t draw as much attention as the tantrums of livid they/thems do?

“J.K. Rowling’s actions against the trans community are so egregious that I think we need to look at changing our minds on this,” said Vancouver city Coun. Lucy Maloney.

On Monday, she along with fellow opposition Coun. Sean Orr, called for the park board to reconsider the Harry Potter Forbidden Forest Experience — a temporary immersive attraction that will open in Stanley Park in November. 

Ooh how exciting! Egregious! Cage fight! You bring the beer, I’ll drink it.

The attraction was announced last week, and tickets starting at $49.50 for adults will go on sale on Wednesday.

Because of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s long history of funding and advocating for one side of the debate over transgender rights and issues, much of the online conversation around the event quickly pivoted to whether the city’s elected park board should have approved the event. 

What “debate” is that then, clumsy journalist? You mean the debate over whether or not a bulky irritable occasionally violent man should be welcome in women’s toilets? You really think that’s a debate as opposed to a systematic dismantling of women’s rights?

“It’s really hard to separate the artist from the art,” said Ky Sargeant, the QMUNITY vice-chair for a large queer, trans and two-spirit resource centre in Vancouver. 

Yeah and it’s really hard to separate the putz from the censorious blather.

However, multiple commissioners said if the vote happened today, the conversation might have gone differently.

“I regret not knowing more,” said commissioner Scott Jensen, who said the vote predated his knowledge that Rowling had funded legal cases challenging the definition of gender in Scotland.

You mean the “definition of gender” that allowed violent men to be housed in women’s prisons? That “definition of gender”?

Hey I wonder if we decided to redefine “cliff” it would become safe to step off one.

But Jensen said many students he teaches are big Harry Potter fans, and hoped they could enjoy the attraction separate from Rowling’s views, which he said he opposed. 

Well of course he said he opposed, because he’s not allowed to say he doesn’t oppose.

H/t ibbica