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Alohomora’s Statement of Unity

Alohomora! has never been just about the author or the hosts. It has become a beautiful community of individuals who express a wide spectrum of thoughts and opinions on the text and our commentary in a civil, respectful manner. We have real conversations about hard topics, and with an intent to all learn from each other. We are so proud to be part of a fandom that is inclusive, and we are so happy that our listeners are people we can consider friends.

JK Rowling recently made some misinformed and harmful statements about transgender people. The Alohomora! team wants to state unequivocally that we do not support these views. Trans women are women. Trans men are men. And non-binary people are non-binary.

We are very strongly against abuse, threats, and attacks on people and communities, and this includes JKR. It is because we are a community that welcomes all and does not endorse these kinds of behaviors, that we oppose any kind of harmful or hateful rhetoric.

So the team can get their own thoughts and feelings in order, we have decided to take a hiatus until August 1. Many fans are currently going through a grieving process and are trying to figure out if they can continue to love the art even if they cannot separate it from the artist. We want to be here for our amazing community, which we are so very proud of, but in order to be here for you, we have to be here for ourselves.

Our post-hiatus plan is to continue on our journey of an in-depth exploration of the Harry Potter series. Episodes going forward will contain a unity statement that reinforces our beliefs that all are welcome. We will continue to analyze, criticize, and applaud the literary world that brought us all together. The author will naturally come up in conversation when talking about Harry Potter, but with mindfulness around the complicated feelings we all may hold. Most importantly, we want all listeners to know that this is a safe space for them to join with other Potter fans and revel in the world of magic that exists within each fan’s heart.

— Alison, Grace, Irvin, Kat, Katy, and Rosie