I used to be the biggest fan of Harry Potter. I read all of the books, watched the movies multiple times and begged my mom to buy me every piece of merchandise possible. That was until the news came out that the author, J. K. Rowling, was a raging transphobe.

My first reaction to this news was shock since she seemed like such a progressive woman. She had minority characters, said Dumbledore was a part of the LGBT+ community and the books themselves were seen as progressive in some ways.

I fell down a rabbit hole, reading every possible article and tweet that had to do with her views on transgender people, and I was disgusted. Here was this woman that inspired me to be a writer, and she was saying these awful things about trans women. While doing my research, I came across the phrase “Separate the art from the artist.”

This quote confused me: how could you support the art if the artist was a bad person? 

Speaking as someone who is a writer and considers that an art, it’s something I use to express my perspective on the world and myself. But, because art is so personal, I feel as if you can’t really separate the art from the artist — whether it be musicians, filmmakers or writers; if they profit off of that art, you shouldn’t be supporting it.

Though streaming a song or buying a book by a controversial artist seems small, it still supports their career, giving them more of a platform to continue having power in the media. This is especially true in cases of celebrities being accused of sexual assault or domestic abuse, as it helps silence victims.

I know it might be difficult to find an artist who doesn’t have a problematic past, especially in a world where all celebrities’ actions can be spread around the world in an instant. But, associating with art that has artists like J. K. Rowling or Matty Healy, is supporting them financially which helps them continue to spread their words of hate.

I personally like to do my research on the artists that I’m starting to hyperfixate on. If I see that they are racist, homophobic or an all-around bad person, I’ll immediately stop consuming that media — even if I really like their content.

Supporting an artist’s music undeniably corresponds to supporting their actions, because it helps give them a profit. So if you can’t support the artist, don’t support the art. Plain and simple.

Destiny Torres is an opinion writer. Contact her at [email protected]