Check Out How LGBTQ+ TikTokers Are Reclaiming “Harry Potter”
The Harry Potter series has always inspired creativity and comedy. TikTok lends itself to both of these things, and the Potter content on the app has always been incredible – especially now MuggleNet is joining in on the fun! LGBTQ+ TikTokers are working to bring new light to the series and weaving in representation for their community.
Children across the globe grow up reading and watching Harry Potter, yet there is little to no LGBTQ+ representation in the series. TikTokers in the community are taking this into their own hands, creating funny, inspiring, and original short videos reclaiming the Wizarding World for the LGBTQ+ community. Belle is one of these creators and posted this innovative TikTok embedding herself into the series. A quick content warning before you watch this: It does include some transphobic slurs.
@bambifairyShe’s the first Trans girl of Hogwarts… ##dracomalfoy ##harrypotter ##cedricdiggory ##draco ##pov ##dracotiktok ##hp ##fyp ##foryou ##slytherin ##hogwarts♬ moral of the story slowed – tune soundz
Speaking to Gay Times, Belle said that she and her best friend “would always talk” about being “the first trans girls of Hogwarts.” She hopes that her content will help trans youth who enjoy the series feel more included and safe.
Fellow creator Gautam Bajaj also wants to make the series more inclusive. He says that these TikTok videos are “our way of saying it’s a place for everyone” even though members of the LGBTQ+ community “weren’t able to get the representation we wanted in the books.” He doesn’t know whether the series could be reclaimed just yet because more LGBTQ+ Harry Potter content is needed first.
@gootaumgay hp ships we could’ve had if Rowling wasn’t homophobic (pt 1?) ##fyp ##foryoupage ##harrypotter ##wolfstar ##hptiktok ##guna ##drarry♬ son original – 🐍Serpentard🐍
Beth McAlpine focuses more on the comedy side of TikTok. They made TikToks joking about Umbridge and other characters in the series. However, they’re now questioning whether they should have. They believe that “any promotion or talk about [the Harry Potter] series is still benefiting a transphobe” and think that although it has “given people the idea that they can reclaim their childhood movies,” it hasn’t been “groundbreaking.” They want the series to be taken back, but they don’t know whether they could ever separate the art from the artist after harmful statements from the author.
@befmcalpsi will not have any comments about how fickle i am babes ##fyp ##harrypotter ##hermionegranger♬ Kiss – Prince
Many content creators are beginning to feel the same way as Beth. Marthe Woertman, a fellow TikToker, used to make similar videos. She found it fun to add her own representation to the series after the “zero queer representation” she felt she had in the original books and movies, but after educating herself more about “the whole writing situation,” she decided to stop.
Steps are being made to reclaim the series for the fans, especially by the LGBTQ+ community. These TikToks are just some of many helping with this movement. Do you have any favorite LGBTQ+ Harry Potter creators?
