Vermont-based artist Ty Erickson has turned a popular fantasy series into a harrowing protest with a portrait of a murdered transgender woman created from the pages of a Harry Potter book.
Erickson’s project began earlier this year in response to JK Rowling’s widely criticized comments on trans issues. “Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Trans rights are human rights,” the artist declares on her website. Each portrait is a tribute to a life lost and a statement against the ongoing anti-trans rhetoric.
remembering the lives taken
One of Erickson’s subjects is LaLacia Wright, a Black Latina trans woman of Puerto Rican descent who was shot and killed in Minneapolis in December 2024 at the age of 25. Prints of Wright’s portraits are shown below. available for purchase20% of the proceeds will be donated to Advocates for Trans Equality, a New York-based nonprofit organization.
The Human Rights Campaign reports that at least 32 transgender and gender-expanding people were killed in acts of violence in 2024, underscoring the urgency behind Erickson’s work. By repurposing Rowling’s books, the artist transforms symbols of the imagination into tools of memory and action.
wider conversation
Rowling’s public comments about gender have sparked controversy since 2019, prompting many Harry Potter movie stars to speak out in support of the trans community. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint all distanced themselves from the author’s comments, asserting that “trans women are women too.”
Even some of the leading filmmakers of the Harry Potter series agree. Chris Columbus, director of the first two Harry Potter films, described Rowling’s views as “very sad” and “disappointing”, and emphasized the distinction between art and artists.
art as activism
Erickson’s projects focus on the power of creative expression in social justice. By deconstructing the pages of cultural touchstones, the artist constructs portraits that commemorate lives lost and confront harmful narratives. Each piece is a reminder that art can be a form of resistance, and the ways in which we honor those societies are failing.
In a world still rife with anti-transgender rhetoric, Erickson’s work transforms fantasy into a very real statement. That means every life matters and every story deserves to be told.
Source: Gayety – gayety.com
