A new Harry Potter-themed attraction is set to debut in Vancouver's Stanley Park this fall, but not everybody is pleased.Among those calling on the Park Board to cancel the event are Councillors Sean Orr and Lucy Maloney, both of whom argued that author JK Rowling's comments on gender render the event an attack on the transgender community.."I support a democratically elected park board," Maloney wrote in a post on X. "Part of democracy is ensuring that the government’s decisions match the city’s values. Vancouver is a city for all its people. Trans people included. I am calling on the Park Board to rethink this event and make this right.". Orr echoed her sentiments, and claimed that a number of citizens have written to council expressing their concerns about the event..He went on to accuse Rowling of "us[ing] her brand and influence to fund lawsuits that exclude trans people and threaten their existence."The event, which is hosted by Discovery Global Experiences, Fever, and in partnership with Rifflandia Entertainment Company, was announced on September 3. It is scheduled to open on November 7 on the site of the Stanley Park Train, which is out of service for the remainder of the year.For $49.50, visitors can immerse themselves in the world of Harry Potter's "iconic Forbidden Forest" for an hour.."On behalf of the Park Board and its staff, we're very happy to host this event in beautiful Stanley Park this fall," Park Board Chair Laura Christensen said. "With the much-loved Stanley Park Train unfortunately not available this coming fall and winter season, this exciting new special event is certain to bring a lot of joy and fun to residents and visitors alike."The Park Board approved the event months ago, but since then, a number of commissioners have told the CBC that had they known about Rowling's activism, they may have approached it differently.Rowling has been an outspoken critic of gender ideology and advocate of women's rights. She publicly supported Amy Hamm, a BC nurse who faced legal action over her role in putting up an "I ♥ JK Rowling" billboard in Vancouver.The British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives inquiry committee argued Hamm made discriminatory and derogatory comments about transgender people while identifying herself as a nurse. She was recently ordered to pay over $93,000 in legal costs and informed that should she return to nursing, she will immediately face a one-month suspension.
