A couple of months ago, back when J K Rowling was Public Enemy 1 in the eyes of some people, the CBR site put together a list that they called "Here Are 9 Fantasy Series to Read INSTEAD of Harry Potter." They listed some extremely cool series that I'm a fan of, as well as some that are unfamiliar to me, and I was tickled to see Cirque Du Freak named among them, and humbly pleased when they noted that "Though the saga doesn't specifically address queer themes, its promotion of tolerance and celebration of diversity... has earned the books a modest queer following -- at least from those unafraid of the dark." You can check out the full list by clicking here:

https://www.cbr.com/9-fantasy-series-read-instead-harry-potter/

I don't wish to reopen old cans of worms (or cans of old worms!), so I'm not going to comment on the transphobia controversy that led to such a list being put together in the first place, except to state that while I respect J K Rowling's right to express her views, and actually found it very interesting to read what she had to say on the subject, personally I DO see trans women as women. What I will say is that despite our differing stances on this issue, I read and loved the Harry Potter books when they came out, and they have consciously and subconsciously influenced quite a bit of my work over the last couple of decades (especially my Archibald Lox books), and I still consider them must-reads for anyone who loves escapist, empowering fantasy.

I always think an author's work needs to be separated from the author, as very few of us make for model citizens -- an interesting mind is very often a strongly flawed machine. Also, those "flaws" can be extremely subjective -- I've often spoken about the need for tighter gun control, and while many of my readers have applauded me for those views, others have derided me or even cast my work aside and vowed never to read another word that I write. Some of my favourite writers are people who I probably wouldn't like to spend much time around in the flesh, as we differ in many key ways on many key issues, but I've never let that bother me or turn me away from their work -- I'd rather read a great book by someone I despise, than a bad book by someone I was best friends with.

In short, in my opinion, regardless of whether we stand with or against J K Rowling on the issue of trans people, any list like this should be titled "9 Fantasy Series to Read AS WELL AS Harry Potter," because those books are the cream of the crop, and if you deny yourself the pleasure of reading them, you're the one losing out.