Organizers of a book festival in New Zealand have canceled an event featuring the popular children’s book series Harry Potter over past comments on the transgender debate made by author J.K. Rowling.
The news website Stuff reported that the upcoming Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival, an annual event scheduled to occur this weekend in New Zealand’s Wellington Region, decided to remove a Harry Potter-themed quiz because of the past comments on gender and women’s rights made by Rowling.
This action comes as this year’s book festival is slated to focus on the phenomenon of “cancel culture.”
The term “cancel culture” refers to the effort embraced by many in popular culture to silence people with unfashionable views on certain topics by boycotting their products or canceling their engagements with organizations or events.
According to Stuff, this year’s festival “will feature a panel discussion hosted by veteran broadcaster Ian Fraser examining the phenomenon of cancel culture and its impact on New Zealand art and literature.”
