04/25/2026
✨ Harry Potter Alternatives for LGBTQ+ Families
✨A resource from the "Transgender Parenting" Facebook Group - shared with permission.
Over the past couple of years — and especially with the announcement of a new Harry Potter series — we’ve seen this conversation come up again and again in our community.
Many families are asking:
“What do we do about the Harry Potter series that we loved so much when the creator, J.K. Rowling, has used her platform to promote extremely harmful rhetoric about transgender people?”
Here's the good news:
✨ There is so much incredible, magical, imaginative content out there — stories that spark wonder without causing harm.
With permission from the admin of the Transgender Parenting Facebook group, we’re sharing this community-sourced list of alternatives. Please note that age appropriateness can vary, so you’ll want to review based on your child.
⸻
📚 Books (Middle Grade → Adult mix)
Great for middle grade / early YA:
* Amari and the Night Brothers – B. B. Alston
* Aru Shah and the End of Time – Roshani Chokshi
* Nevermoor series – Jessica Townsend
* The Worst Witch series – Jill Murphy
* Animorphs – Katherine Applegate
* Charlie Bone series – Jenny Nimmo
* Wings of Fire – Tui T. Sutherland
YA / Teen:
* His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
* Percy Jackson universe – Rick Riordan
* Lockwood & Co. – Jonathan Stroud
* The Bartimaeus series – Jonathan Stroud
* Inheritance Cycle series – Christopher Paolini
* Magnus Chase series – Rick Riordan
Older teen / adult (some themes may be heavier):
* Discworld series – Terry Pratchett
* The Broken Earth Trilogy – N. K. Jemisin
* The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit – J. R. R. Tolkien
* Light from Uncommon Stars (trans author & rep) – Ryka Aoki
💡 Also explore authors like:
Tamora Pierce, Alice Oseman, C. B. Lee, Anne-Marie McLemore
⸻
🎧 Podcasts
* Welcome to Night Vale (≈12+)
* The Magnus Archives (≈16+)
* Witch Please / Material Girls (discussion-based)
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📺 TV Shows & Movies
Family-friendly / younger audiences:
* Steven Universe
* The Owl House
* Hilda
* My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
All ages / family favorites:
* Avatar: The Last Airbender & Korra
* The Princess Bride
* How to Train Your Dragon
* Studio Ghibli films like Spirited Away
Teen / older audiences:
* Heartstopper
* Shadow and Bone
* The Umbrella Academy
* Our Flag Means Death
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🎮 Video Games (varies widely by age)
* Minecraft (younger-friendly)
* The Legend of Zelda series
* The Sims
* Celeste (trans-inclusive themes)
* Older teen: The Witcher series, Cyberpunk, Elden Ring
⸻
🎲 Tabletop Role Playing Games
* Dungeons & Dragons (customizable, inclusive storytelling)
* Kids on Brooms
* Magic: The Gathering
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🌐 Web Comics & More
* Heartstopper (also a show)
* Assigned Male (trans-centered comics)
* Lore Olympus
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✨ We’d love to hear from you:
What books, shows, or games have you fallen in love with lately?
Let’s keep building a list that reflects the kind of world we’re trying to create together.
⸻
✨A note about why this matters…
For some, choosing alternatives may feel like a small shift.
But for many families—especially those with transgender and nonbinary loved ones—it carries real weight.
When we continue to support creators who use their platforms to spread harmful ideas about trans people, those messages don’t stay abstract.
They shape culture.
They influence how others see and treat our kids.
They contribute to a world that can feel less safe for them.
So when families choose differently, it’s about saying:
“We will not invest in narratives that harm the people we love.”
“We will not amplify voices that undermine their dignity.”
“We will choose stories that reflect the world we’re trying to build.”
And those are the kinds of choices that help change the world.
