Trans Activists Launch High Street Protest Against Sale of Harry Potter Merchandise

Published on: 16 May, 2026
Updated on: 18 May, 2026

The campaign focuses on Harry Potter merchandise, says West

By David Reading

Trans rights activists launched a peaceful protest outside Waterstones in Guildford this afternoon (May 16), chalking messages on the pavement to draw people’s attention to the company’s marketing of Harry Potter merchandise.

Protest group Defund Transphobes says Harry Potter author JK Rowling uses money from the sale of merchandise to fund what they describe as her “anti trans campaign”.

The author is open about the fact that the JK Rowling Women’s Fund (JKRWF) offers legal funding support “to individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s and girls’ sex-based rights in all aspects of life including the workplace, sports and clubs, and protected single-sex spaces.”

The protest group believes this is a serious threat to trans people across the UK.

One of the activists, named West, said: “Waterstones is one of the biggest sellers of non literary Harry Potter items and JK Rowling takes that money and uses it to promote her online fund.”

She claimed: “Anyone in England and Scotland can apply and she will fund your court cases against trans individuals, trans rights and trans supportive businesses, so it’s a direct pipeline of all the Harry Potter money that is going directly to the erasure of trans rights. The majority of people aren’t aware that this is happening.

“You can no longer separate the art from the artist unfortunately. If you support Harry Potter as a franchise you also support trans erasure financially. So we are here to raise awareness about that.”

The protest outside Guildford’s Waterstones, in the High Street, underway.

Harry Potter merchandise sold by Waterstones includes soft toys, Lego toys, games, bookmarks, tote bags, pens and badges.

West said: “We don’t mind literary items, we’re not about banning books, but Waterstones is a major seller of Harry Potter merchandise. We have been campaigning to ask them to stop promoting these items and just stick to books or even better, just keep the books on the website.”

Rowling herself characterises her financial contributions as an effort to protect “women’s sex-based rights.”

Her Women’s Fund says legal funding provides women with “the means and confidence to bring to justice strategic cases that make legal precedents, enforce existing equality law, and make positive contributions to women’s and girls’ lives.”

Defund Transphobes is a nationwide group that opposes this activity.

Their website says: We are a group of activists mobilising in resistance to those seeking to remove trans rights and erase us from society. Our campaigns and outreach aim to increase the visibility of trans people and demystify and destigmatise the trans experience, while advocating for people to end their financial support of those who harm the trans community and encouraging them to become vocal and active allies.”

The protest continued until all the pavement space was covered.

Waterstones has been invited to comment.

Responses to Trans Activists Launch High Street Protest Against Sale of Harry Potter Merchandise

Angela Richardson Reply

May 16, 2026 at 8:29 pm

We shouldn’t have got ourselves into the positiom, in the first place, that necessitated J K Rowling giving financial support of £70,000 to help fund For Women Scotland going to the Supreme Court and asking them to decide that the definition of a woman is one of biological sex. It was bonkers!

Cancel culture doesn’t work. Denying biological reality doesn’t work. Women should have their own spaces and transpeople should have both compassion and separate accommodations for their needs. Children should always be protected. It doesn’t have to be complicated or contentious. It’s only the activists who make it so.

Angela Richardson is the former Conservative MP for Guildford
Laura Holland Reply

May 17, 2026 at 9:51 am

I find myself unexpectedly agreeing with the former Conservative MP for Guilford on this one
Matt Topping Reply

May 17, 2026 at 2:13 pm

So far JK Rowling has funded two employment tribunals for women unfairly dismissed because of their feminist advocacy and one case against the Scottish government which didn’t want to implement the minimum targets for women on company boards.

Characterising this support for women as anti-trans simply makes it look like trans rights is being used as a cover to attack women.
M Ryan Reply

May 18, 2026 at 12:38 pm

I’m not entirely sure what rights trans people don’t have, or how a philanthropist such as JK Rowling is actively harming them. From what I’ve seen and read, she makes very reasoned and cogent points on biological realism. Maybe I’m missing the point.

Whilst equality for trans people is obviously important, this must not trump the rights or needs of women and girls. As much my overall political views are opposed to those of Angela Richardson, in this matter we are aligned.
Liz Critchfield Reply

May 19, 2026 at 3:38 pm

I have great respect for someone born male who, as an adult (and I can’t stress that strongly enough), has the courage to go through hormonal and surgical processes to become a transwoman.

But she and I are not biologically the same, and to say we are takes my identity away from me.

It’s in the genes – XX or XY and it really shouldn’t have needed the Supreme Court to decide what defines a woman.

Respect, consideration and compassion for all groups please.
Mike Smith Reply

May 27, 2026 at 5:35 pm

These protestors have almost persuaded me to go to Waterstones and buy the entire Potter series but I wasn’t that impressed by the films.