New York Times’ new advertising campaign celebrates the ongoing attacks by transgender communities on author J.K. Rowling. It spotlights a subscriber called “Lianna”, who wants Rowling to be removed from the Harry Potter canon.
The newspaper’s “independent journalism”, as well as the Gray Lady lifestyle brand, are promoted in the ad campaign. Four different subscribers are featured in the ads, representing different demographics. Each subscriber has made the newspaper an integral part of their lives.
One of the ads shows “Lianna”, a transgender woman or gender non-binary, engaging in a free association of thoughts. This includes “breaking the [gender] binary”, spending a week in crossword land, and “imagining Harry Potter sans its creator.”
The Times is running the ads in major cities like Washington, D.C., and Chicago. A version of the “Lianna” ad was seen in the D.C. Metro, which also featured Rowling’s attack.
Rowling has been viciously attacked by transgender activists, who disagree with her belief that gender can be biological. She expressed concern about the degrading of women by using terms such as “people who menstruate”
“I love and know trans people. But erasing the idea of sex will make it difficult for many to have meaningful conversations about their lives. She tweeted that it isn’t a hateful thing, to tell the truth.
Rowling has been exiled by Hollywood because of her views. According to the author, transgender activists had threatened Rowling and her family and doxxed her.
The New York Times ad sparked heated discussion on social media. Joyce Carol Oates (a renowned novelist) was one of the many dissenters. She criticized the newspaper’s “shocking condescension.”