A Manchester laser studio is removing Harry Potter tattoos for half-price
- Text by Ella Glossop
- Photography by Manchester Laser NQ (courtesy of), Ella Glossop
Deletrius — They claimed that the franchise had “lost its magic” following author JK Rowling’s recent statements on trans rights.
A Manchester laser clinic has announced it is offering 50% off the removal of Harry Potter-themed tattoos, in a stand against JK Rowling’s public remarks on transgender rights.
Manchester Laser NQ, based inside The Old Volt tattoo studio on Swan Street, announced the offer on Instagram earlier this month, saying the franchise had been “ruined” for many fans.
The post read: “Around 16% of people regret getting a tattoo, less than 1% of people regret gender-affirming surgery, and 100% of queer people regret their Harry Potter tattoos (last stat not fact-checked).
“So, I will be offering 50% off removal of any Harry Potter-themed tattoos, for anyone. Trans rights are human rights.”
Manager El McKnight said the decision came from both a personal and political place. “I only started my laser tattoo removal business a couple months ago and I knew I wanted to offer this before we started. The way JK Rowling has campaigned against and damaged the rights of trans women in this country, and across the world, is absolutely disgusting,” they told Huck.
“Like many queer people, I loved Harry Potter when I was younger and it only lost its magic because of the woman who wrote it.”
Rowling has faced criticism in recent years for her comments on gender identity and trans rights. The author first attracted controversy in 2019 when she expressed support for researcher Maya Forstater, who was dismissed over “gender-critical” remarks. Since then, Rowling has continued to defend what she calls “sex-based rights,” arguing that the trans movement threatens protections for cisgender women.
Earlier this year, the UK Supreme Court delivered a landmark ruling on 16 April 2025 that, under the Equality Act 2010, the terms “woman” and “sex” refer to biological sex — excluding transgender women, even those with gender recognition certificates (GRCs), from that definition. The case – brought by the campaign group For Women Scotland and financially supported by Rowling – has been welcomed by gender-critical activists and condemned by LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.
Read next: JK Rowling is not the victim here
Her comments have been condemned by LGBTQ+ campaigners and many of the Harry Potter cast, including actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
Even though her store has only been running a few months, El says she’s spoken to people who “feel embarrassed or ashamed” of their Harry Potter tattoos, as “they don’t want people thinking that they agree with JKs transphobic opinions”.
One of those is Shay, a trans man who has a tattoo on his ankle. “I got it when I was 18, so 12 years ago, because I grew up with Harry Potter. It was a huge part of my life and my relationship with my Mum, who passed away 6 years ago,” he explains. “I want it removing because being trans in this country is hard enough, but due to her, it’s gotten even harder.”
“Like many queer people, I loved Harry Potter when I was younger and it only lost its magic because of the woman who wrote it.” El McKnight, Manchester Laser NQ manager
The offer has also been receiving attention from beyond the queer community: “I have a few consultations lined up with people who have Harry Potter tattoos,” El says. “I think it’s been a mix of people who have been interested – there’s a lot of straight people who also don’t agree with JK Rowling views.”
The Manchester clinic’s promotion is part of a broader reckoning among fans and businesses once tied to the franchise. Earlier this year, Edinburgh Street Historians dropped their Harry Potter-themed walking tours, calling the move “not easy, but necessary.” In 2022, the national governing body of quidditch in the UK, Quidditch UK, renamed itself to Quadball UK to distance itself from the Harry Potter franchise, saying that it indicated “a firm stance with our trans players and members”.
Appointments for discounted tattoo removals can be booked via Manchester Laser NQ’s Instagram.
Ella Glossop is Huck’s social editor. Follow her on Bluesky.
Buy your copy of Huck 82 here.
Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Instagram and sign up to our newsletter for more from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture.
Support stories like this by becoming a member of Club Huck.
You might like
Why London’s queers are flocking to line dance
Stud City — With a global boom in the popularity of country music, a host of new nights attended by LGBTQ+ folk are opening in the UK’s capital. Zoe Paskett went along to find out about the community’s love for the hustle.
Written by: Zoe Paskett
How trans rights activism and sex workers’ solidarity emerged in the ’70s and ’80s
Shoulder to Shoulder — In this extract from writer Jake Hall’s new book, which deep dives into the history of queer activism and coalition, they explore how anti-TERF and anti-SWERF campaigning developed from the same cloth.
Written by: Jake Hall
A stark, confronting window into the global cocaine trade
Sangre Blanca — Mads Nissen’s new book is a close-up look at various stages of the drug’s journey, from production to consumption, and the violence that follows wherever it goes.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Venice Biennale will not award artists from Israel & Russia due to war crime accusations
Art Not Genocide — Both countries will still be allowed to exhibit work at their respective pavilions, but be excluded from judging considerations, as they have leaders facing arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court.
Written by: Noah Petersons
Free-spirited, otherworldly portraits of Mexico City’s queer youth
Birds — Pieter Henket’s new collaborative photobook creates a stage for CDMX’s LGBTQ+ community to express themselves without limitations, styling themselves with wild outfits that subvert gender and tradition.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The suave style and subtle codes of gay San Francisco in the ’70s
Seminal Works — Hal Fischer’s new photobook explores the photographer’s archive, in which he documented the street fashion and culture of the city post-Gay Liberation, and pre-AIDS pandemic.
Written by: Miss Rosen
