I was asked to post this petition on behalf of someone who needed support in getting the word out and encouraging us as a global community to ask LEGO to end their relationship with JK Rowling. Please see below. -hdf

This petition will not debate JK Rowling’s transphobia, nor the bigotry that lurks throughout the Harry Potter series of books and movies. Those are conversations that have been discussed for years, and we expect you to understand and accept these as truths.

Harry Potter was one of the top 5 selling LEGO themes in 2022. The LEGO Group’s revenue grew by 17% to DKK 64.6bn that same year. The money JKR receives from royalty cheques convinces her that her views are justified and keeps her blind to the people she hurts. She has also admitted to funding anti LGBTQ+ political activity in the UK. This means that the money Joanne earns from LEGO sales will fund bigotry and oppression, whether that money gets donated to hate groups or used as fuel for her transphobic ego. The LEGO Group cannot paint themselves as allies to the LGBTQIA+ community while they continue to fund transphobia.

In 2021, LEGO released “Everyone is Awesome”, a queer flag themed LEGO set, featuring a colourful minifigure selection and a beautiful display stand. This was the only pride LEGO set made (excluding the Queer Eye Fab 5 Loft, as that is based on a TV show). What could've been at least a yearly tradition of a queer themed set for Pride, was reduced to a single product. Meanwhile, there are currently 65 available Harry Potter themed products on the LEGO Shop website.

“Our mission is to inspire the builders of tomorrow, and that includes inspiring them to be empathetic, kind and inclusive - something we believe our LEGO Harry Potter sets encourage.” - @LEGO_Group via Twitter.

The Harry Potter series is filled with bigotry, especially anti-semitism. It is rumoured that LEGO are planning to release a $430 Gringotts Bank set. The ‘greedy hook-nosed Goblin bankers’ are heavily based on anti-semetic stereotypes and caricatures, and the fact that The LEGO Group would condone this and put the entire subject into a $430 set is absolutely disgusting. If these rumours are true, it would very clearly go against LEGO’s statement of HP sets encouraging ‘empathy, kindness and inclusiveness’.

Another, more recent rumour now states that TT Games are now working on a new LEGO Harry Potter video game, to the scale of their previous title, LEGO Star Wars The Skywalker Saga. If true, this game will undoubtedly be huge, and if you're familiar with the Hogwarts Legacy drama, you know this will create more drama where trans people will be victimised by transphobic fans, and made to seem like violent bullies when they speak out about it. This, again, goes against The LEGO Group’s supposed values of inclusivity, as they will be appeasing to transphobic fans of LEGO, instead of showing solidarity with translate and Jewish communities.

The LEGO Group prides themselves as being an ally to the Queer community, which is mostly shown by what can be assumed to be performative activism, when you take into account all things previously mentioned. The aim for this petition is to put pressure on The LEGO Group in hopes they will do the right thing, and end their relationship with the Harry Potter and Wizarding World franchise, as queer people deserve more support than what is being given.

Why this is important:

The LEGO Group’s relationship with JK Rowling’s creates an unsafe environment for queer and Jewish fans of LEGO. If a company wants to be an ally to our communities, they need to show solidarity in any way they can, and including sets which feature anti-semitic and racist depictions of characters and themes, promotes hate. Any time someone expresses discomfort with LEGO’s stance to stick with the franchise, they are met with bigoted comments from transphobes and anti-semites. These are the people who LEGO are choosing to side with and create products for. The LEGO Group is also contributing to the Harry Potter hype, which brings in more fans and more money into the franchise, part of which goes to JKR, who uses the money to motivate her transphobia and donate to hate groups.

Please sign and support this petition’s efforts.

Sources:

LEGO 2022 annual results 

https://www.lego.com/en-gb/aboutus/news/2023/march/2022-annual-results

"I read my most recent royalty cheques and find the pain goes away pretty quickly." - @jk_rowling via Twitter

https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1580639051774054404?s=20

“JK Rowling has finally publicly admitted to funding anti-LGBTQ political activity in the UK. She'd say it was just for "helping Allison out" but what is Allison doing with that support? Oh right: denigrating trans people, and hurting women and all LGBTQIA+ people in the process.” - @HPANA via Twitter

https://twitter.com/HPANA/status/1518650786347163651?s=20

"Our mission is to inspire the builders of tomorrow, and that includes inspiring them to be empathetic, kind, and inclusive - something we believe our LEGO Harry Potter sets encourage." - @LEGO_Group via Twitter

https://twitter.com/LEGO_Group/status/1532008176945713159?s=20