J.K. Rowling criticizes Vancouver Parks over its 'disavowal' of her views
J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter novels, has lashed out at the Vancouver Park Board this week over its apology for a Potter-themed event in the city’s Stanley Park.
At issue is Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience, a wizarding-themed walkthrough running from Nov. 7 through Dec. 7 in the large seaside park in the city’s west end.
Last month, just before tickets went on sale, there were calls for the event to be cancelled over Rowling’s controversial comments about transgender activists in recent years.
This week, the Park Board voted unanimously to apologize to the city’s transgender, gender-diverse and Two-Spirit (TGD2S) people and their community for the harm caused by hosting the event.
While it stopped short of cancelling the Forbidden Forest attraction, it said it would run only for the planned month, with no extension or renewal. The board also moved to publicly disavow Rowling’s views.
That last action caught the attention of Rowling herself, who took to social media to mock the Park Board by sharing a statement by board commissioner Tom Digby.
To be honest, I didn't even know Vancouver Parks and Recreations had avowed me, so the disavowal hasn't been much of a blow. Next time, send me a certificate of avowal, wait until I've proudly framed it, hung it over my PC and taken a selfie with it, THEN revoke it. pic.twitter.com/3dpWWCAXsF
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 9, 2025
“To be honest, I didn’t even know Vancouver Parks and Recreations had avowed me, so the disavowal hasn’t been much of a blow,” she wrote on X. “Next time, send me a certificate of avowal, wait until I’ve proudly framed it, hung it over my PC and taken a selfie with it, THEN revoke it,” she said.
To a comment on her post suggesting that she might never recover from the lashing, she replied: “I wouldn’t say ‘never’, but with time, therapy and the support of my family, I anticipate that I’ll be able to hear the words ‘Vancouver Parks and Recreations’ without suffering a serious breakdown within two to three years.”
The Forbidden Forest Experience has taken place in several cities worldwide, with more locations planned. It has been protested in other locations for different reasons.
A Melbourne version in 2024 saw backlash from protesters who argued that its location in Mount Martha park near the Australian city would impact local wildlife.
Similar concerns were raised in 2022 when the event was set up in a government-run park near Brussels in Belgium. Both events eventually went ahead as planned.
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