Woke Canadian town apologizes for erecting cheerful Harry Potter display after pro-trans mob melted down

A Canadian town has apologized for setting up a Harry Potter-themed Halloween display after receiving backlash for the seemingly innocuous decorations.The Town of Gibsons, a small community in British Columbia about 30 miles northwest of Vancouver, announced the display in a cheerful Facebook post on October 24. 'Pioneer Park has had a Halloween makeover, with Harry Potter-inspired decorations bringing a little Hogwarts magic to Gibsons,' the town wrote in the post. 'Take a stroll through the park and enjoy the spooky sights. Thanks to the Parks Department for transforming the space into something magical!' The town included photos of the decorations that show a statue in a Gryffindor robe with a broom, a 'Book of Spells' and a face-in-the-hole board that said 'Have you seen this wizard?' next to a wanted poster of Harry Potter.But what was intended to be a fun and harmless display quickly drew backlash from users online due to the perceived transphobia of the Harry Potter franchise's author, JK Rowling.Rowling has endured a storm of controversies since expressing 'deep concerns' about transgender activism in an essay in June 2020 and repeatedly arguing that biological sex is foundational to women's safety.The backlash to the Town of Gibsons' display from Rowling critics was severe enough that it disabled comments on its post and released an apology on Sunday. The Town of Gibsons in British Columbia, Canada, released an apology on Sunday for erecting a Harry Potter-themed Halloween display. A part of the display is pictured The town announced the display in a cheerful post on October 14 and included photos of the decorations, including this face-in-the-hole board The town also had this 'Book of Spells' as part of its seemingly innocuous display The town faced backlash for the decorations because of the perceived transphobic views of the Harry Potter franchise's author, JK Rowling The town shared this cheerful post about the display thanking the Parks Department for setting it up but disabled comments after facing backlash'The Town of Gibsons recognizes that our recent Halloween display featuring Harry Potter has raised concerns among some members of our community,' the apology began.'We understand that the Harry Potter series has become a difficult subject for many, particularly transgender people, because of the public statements and actions of its author,' the post continued. 'While the display was intended as a fun Halloween theme, we recognize that it carries different meanings for different people. We apologize to those who felt hurt as a result.'The Town is committed to fostering a community where everyone feels respected and welcome, and we will take the feedback received into consideration when planning future Town displays and activities,' the apology concluded. The Town of Gibsons told the Daily Mail that its display 'was created with the genuine intention of bringing Halloween fun to the community, and it did. 'However, it also generated concerning input from valued community members who are continuously hurt by the outspokenness of the creator of the Harry Potter series toward transgender and nonbinary people.'The town added that it 'stands strongly for inclusiveness' and said: 'The Halloween display was undoubtedly an homage to the extraordinary series, which also promotes social justice and inclusiveness, and certainly not to J.K. Rowling’s personal views toward transgender and nonbinary people.''Our staff who put many hours of work into this awesome display are the same people who proudly and genuinely raise the Pride flag every year and had absolutely no intent of offending anyone,' the town also said. The display included this nod to a scene from one of the Harry Potter movies with hand-painted decorationsQuidditch rings and a messenger owl in a cage were also part of the displayCanadian outlet Daily Hive reported that there were at least 200 comments expressing divided opinions on the town's initial post before it disabled comments. 'This is incredibly tone deaf for Gibsons’ trans and gender diverse residents and visitors,' one user wrote, per the outlet. 'So I guess the rainbow crosswalk and pride flags in June are just lip service?' said another. According to Western Standard, a third user scolded the town for not 'caring about their vulnerable communities.' 'As someone who is transgender, I appreciate their apology, but this was a lot more elaborate than I expected,' the person wrote. In the comments of the apology post, one user who was against the display wrote: 'Thank you for listening to the community! This is one way to take a stand against transphobia where we live. 'The views of an author is one thing, but every purchase of any branded products gives her money that she proudly states publicly will be used to fund transphobic organizations and lobby groups.'The rest of the comments under the apology post, however, overwhelmingly appeared to find it ridiculous and unnecessary. The Town of Gibsons released its apology on Sunday. The apology is pictured in full'For heaven's sake seriously? When did everyone become so hyper sensitive? Its a Halloween display? Let's cancel Halloween or anything remotely fun because it might hurt 3 people's feelings,' one user wrote. 'My goodness sounds like an intense over reaction. Harry Potter is for kids and adults alike. Separate your politics over Rowlings and let imagination be celebrated,' a second user wrote. A third user said: 'Imagine being triggered by a Halloween display of a children's book lmao.'A fourth chimed in: 'I'm offended people are offended. Can the town of Gibson's please issue me an apology.'