Soooo. Can you believe it. 20 years since the UK publication (or Book Birthday) of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Hands up who feels old? 

I’m still waiting for my House Pride Hufflepuff edition to arrive from Bloomsbury but here’s a lovely house 🌈 while I’m waiting. 

In case you didn’t know June is also Pride month. 

Being involved in the Harry Potter fandom, in particular attending events at LeakyCon and with The Harry Potter Alliance I have become much more aware of LGBTQIA+ issues. 

One of my favourite Harry Potter memes is this one. 

Image courtesy of @Run_Read_Repeat on Instagram. Thanks Emily. T-shirt by SunFrogShirts. 

Now, we all know Dumbledore is gay but, importantly, this was never stated in the actual books. In fact there’s no explicit mention of LGBTQIA+ characters. Also Cursed Child fans were itching for a romantic entanglement between Albus and Scorpius but once again – denied. 

There are though, thankfully, a growing number of excellent books with good representation and I was lucky enough to interview the author of a newest addition to the set. Noah Can’t Even by Simon James Green is a witty take on a teen boy exploring first relationships, along with his sexuality. Noah’s character gave me echoes of Holly Smale’s quintessential Geek Girl Harriet Manners and that is a very good thing. 

Check out my interview with Simon on Waterstones Castlepoint’s YouTube channel and hear us discuss issues such as the need for Own Voices in literature. 

Do read Noah Can’t Even too and let me How what you think. 

I’m a Proud Hufflepuff and a Proud Ally. I hope I do a good job at living up to the values of both.