Hey guys! Popping in here to add an author's note at the beginning of this story that I hope you'll take the time to read through. I promise, it won't take too long.
As I've continued writing Alexa's story in the books beyond this one, one of my biggest hurdles has been that I've kind of fallen out of love with the world of Harry Potter, specifically because JK Rowling has radicalized into a person not only campaigning for hate and fear, but actively using the money she makes from the IP to make the world a worse, less safe place for trans people and other communities. I've wrestled for a long time now with how I can keep writing Alexa's story in this world while the continued popularity of Harry Potter is playing a part in JKR's ability to maintain a base for her hate and fearmongering as well as funding campaigns pushing harmful changes to UK laws. However, I love Alexa and her story and I don't want to abandon it, and I've had people tell me it's important to them, too. So, here's where I've landed.
For me, when I first read the Harry Potter books as a kid, they were about the incredible power of love to overcome hate and evil. Just because the author has sided with hate and evil doesn't make that lesson less valuable or less powerful for me, and more importantly, I hope Alexa's stories and world and fic can continue and expand that theme; love wins, no matter what people do to try to stop it, not least of all because we stand together and fight back. So, I'll be continuing Alexa's story, but I have an ask for my lovely, wonderful readers to join me in fighting back against the hatred and bigotry JKR continues to spread.
Linked below are three charities I've found that are doing important work in the UK. The UK is getting the specific focus, here, because that's where JKR has and uses most of her clout and financial power to influence policy and politics. If you can join me in donating, that's great, but I know not everybody is in a place to fight back financially, and that's okay too! Even just sharing a link to an organization doing good work or providing important resources can help. And if you're in the UK, donating time is a great way to help, too. Regardless, I'm hoping everyone here will take the time to check these places out, learn a bit about them, and stand up and be an ally whenever and wherever they can. As a disclaimer, I'm not a member of the trans community, so if anybody who is has comments or feedback, please share them with me! I did my best to dig in and do research, but that doesn't mean I don't have blind spots, and I would love to learn, grow, and improve anywhere I can.
I know not everybody feels the same way as I do about the message they got from Harry Potter, and the right choice for a lot of people might be to leave it behind completely. Obviously that's 100% okay, even and especially if it means leaving Alexa & co.! Regardless, I believe in the power of love to win out over hate, and whether you got that message from your original reading of Harry Potter or not, I think the fandom has proved just how big and powerful it can be; let's work together and use community, love, and acceptance to push back in big numbers against the looming threat trying to harm amazing, incredible members of our world and community.
- For resources and information, including youth groups in the UK, parents looking for information, and organizations looking to improve trans-inclusive practices:
Gendered Intelligence
https://genderedintelligence.co.uk/
- For housing, helping LGBTQ+ youth across the UK:
akt (akt stands for The Albert Kennedy Trust)
https://www.akt.org.uk/about/
- For free legal advice and assistance in the UK:
Trans Legal Clinic
https://www.translegalclinic.com/
Both Gendered Intelligence and the Trans Legal Clinic are trans-led charities. I know sometimes Wattpad gets dicey with hyperlinks (and they don't work at all on mobile), so if you need help navigating to one of the sites, feel free to reach out on my message board or on Tumblr! Stay strong and stay united, I'm sending all the love in the world to all of you ❤️
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An American At Hogwarts: Book Three
FanfictionAlexa Stark, daughter of Tony Stark. After surviving an encounter with Voldemort himself, she's more than ready for a fun senior year at Hogwarts. With a great group of friends, an incredible boyfriend, and all the training that comes with having th...
