Daily Prophet, Sun Feb 6 - Editorial Column
Sunday Roast
by Rita Skeeter
Imagine you own a store. In the months since the war ended you have opened, traded and collected a string of loyal regulars. After the months of horror, finally the world is beginning to right itself, life moving forward and equality restored.
Except not. Because one morning when you arrive at work, your store has been vandalised - windows broken and merchandise burned, hateful slurs scrawled across countertops and shelves.
This was the sight that greeted Derek Shaw and Rory Wallace, owners of Tattered Pages, on New Year’s Day. Shaw and Wallace are not reformed Death Eaters; they are not Muggleborn. Nor are they members of any other group that has been targeted by vigilantes during or after the war.
Wallace and Shaw are a homosexual couple. The attack on their business was motivated only by the fact that they are romantically involved. It is not the first attack of its kind. On October 15th last year, Gladrags owner Julius Fuller was brutally beaten on his way home from the Autumn Ball. Fuller reported to the Aurors that his attacker called him a ‘faggot’ as he was beaten.
Violence motivated by homophobia is not a common thing in the Wizarding world, but we have seen it twice in three months. The fact that it happened once is alarming, but the fact that it has happened twice suggests a dangerous new type of prejudice seeping into Wizarding culture.
It is time for the Wizarding world to take a stand against these criminals. In recent months, we have seen changes in attitude and policy regarding the rights of Muggleborns. We have seen a House Elf receive and Order of Merlin. Out of the dark months in which Voldemort’s Death Eaters terrorised our people, we have seen justice and change.
But the fight is not yet over. Having wrought these changes, we cannot now sit back and ignore the violent attacks against other members of the Wizarding community based simply on who these people choose to love.
There is a symbol used in the Muggle world to signify acceptance and unity. It is known as the Pride Flag, made up of all the colours of the rainbow, and is often worn by homosexuals who are proud to be themselves, and by others who support their right to fairness and equality. With the aid of The Association for Magical Equity and Diversity, rainbow pins have been distributed to a number of retailers in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.
The pins are free. Wear one to support equality and diversity, and to send a message to Shaw, Wallace and Fuller’s attackers that the Wizarding world will not tolerate violence against any members of its community.