Harry Potter author gives surprise shout-out to Youth Project poster

HALIFAX – A Halifax youth organization is over the moon after getting an unexpected shout-out from one the world’s most famous authors.

On Tuesday, J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, held a question-and-answer session on Twitter.

One user asked Rowling whether there were any LGBTQ students at Hogwarts, to which Rowling replied, “But of course” along with an image reading “If Harry Potter taught us anything, it’s that no one should live in a closet”.

The poster was created by the Youth Project, a LGBTQ organization geared towards youth in the Halifax area.

Support Services Coordinator Sheena Jamieson said the posters were created so the organization could have a presence at Hal-Con.

Four posters, each using pop culture references, were created.

“We sat down and thought what is it about these shows, these series that we love? What speaks to us as a community? What do we find celebration and acceptance in?” Jamieson said.

“If Marceline and Princess Bubblegum have taught us anything, it’s that love can’t be denied” is a reference to Adventure Time.

“If Professor X taught us anything, it’s that you will find a place that accepts you” is a reference to the X-Men series.

“If Mario taught us anything, it’s that stars shine brightest on the rainbow road” is a reference to Mario Kart.

Jamieson said the response has been overflowing ever since Rowling tweeted an image of the group’s poster.

“We never expected it to go as wide as it did. Certainly we thought people would enjoy them, that they were a fun way to celebrate. We never thought in a million years it would get the attention of someone who created one of these things,” she said with a laugh.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We never expected it to go as wide as it did. Certainly we thought people would enjoy them, that they were a fun way to celebrate. We never thought in a million years it would get the attention of someone who created one of these things," she said with a laugh.

“Our youth are freaking out. That someone they look up to and love has acknowledged us in this way and celebrated LGBTQ students in this way, people are really excited.”

Jamieson said the organization has been receiving calls from Buzzfeed, MSN and Entertainment Weekly to discuss the social media exchange.

“It’s very surreal to think that spoke to her on some level – something we created, that we just sat around and thought it would be a fun way to celebrate the things that we enjoy.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's very surreal to think that spoke to her on some level - something we created, that we just sat around and thought it would be a fun way to celebrate the things that we enjoy."