Oh, J.K. Rowling, you make loving ‘Harry Potter’ so complicated

The age-old question is begging for an answer: Can you really separate the art from its problematic artist?

With the release of Harry Potter spinoff Hogwarts Legacy, the franchise’s problematic author, J.K. Rowling, has muddled reception of the game set in the Wizarding World.

Hogwarts Legacy turns dreams into (virtual) reality for players who grew up watching Harry and his friends battling evil dark wizards. The game realizes one’s fantasy of receiving that letter telling you you’ll be attending Hogwarts and getting sorted into one of the four historic houses.

Spells and potions aside, some people in the gaming community have decided to boycott the game altogether and it’s all because of Rowling.

Why the hate?

In recent years, Rowling has been called a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminists)—a term describing feminists who are transphobic.

Back in 2020, she responded to an op-ed discussing “people who menstruate,” taking issue that the article didn’t use the term women instead. Using the word “women,” however excludes those who menstruate that aren’t women like non-binary individuals and trans men who also get periods.

‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?

Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate https://t.co/cVpZxG7gaA

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020

“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth,” the author tweeted.

Rowling has made other comments of similar sentiment and even wrote a lengthy piece titled “TERF Wars.”

Trans-exclusionary speech is dangerous toward our trans siblings as this community, specifically trans women, are at high risk for sexual and physical assault. At least 38 transgender people were fatally shot or violently killed just in 2022.

Because of her exclusionary stance, some in the LGBTQ+ community and actors who starred in Harry Potter—including main trio Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint—spoke out against Rowling’s exclusionary statements.

Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.

— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) June 10, 2020

Should you play Hogwarts Legacy?

The truth is, there’s no clear-cut answer to this. It will all be up to you and how you feel about Miss Rowling and her stance.

According to reports, the author isn’t directly involved with the making of the game but developers “collaborated closely with her team on all aspects of the game to ensure it remains in line with the magical experiences fans can expect.” But Rowling has probably made money (royalties) from Hogwarts Legacy, as it’s part of Harry Potter intellectual property.

The people who worked on the game also made sure to push for trans inclusion, creating the franchise’s first trans character. But is this tokenism part of all the efforts to combat the author’s bad press?

If you’re looking for a straightforward answer to whether you should play the game, you’re not going to find it here. It’s more nuanced than just yes or no.

Some people raise their concerns about supporting the hundreds of developers that worked on the project. However, one of Hogwarts Legacy’s developers themselves said they will not be purchasing the game despite working on it.

“Trans people do not deserve to have people like JKR grow and prosper—any ammunition to the wrong side is damage to a society I would otherwise wish to see in the future,” Parker Hartzler said.

Here's my place in the Hogwarts Legacy credits, the second high budget game I've been credited in. I was the realtime technician on shoot floor helping mocap actors see their rigs in the environments. I will not be purchasing the game – it is the least I can do as an ally pic.twitter.com/IECYTWXqsr

— Parker Hartzler (@ParkerHartzler) February 7, 2023

Harry Potter was a story that resonated with LGBTQ+ kids who felt like outsiders, and it inspired countless others to see the magic in the world. With her books, Rowling inspired a generation of children to take up their own pens and write their own stories (myself included).

But her transphobia looms with a darkness over her work that is hard to shake. It’s complicated to still have love for a franchise that defined many people’s childhood when its maker says things that harm the transgender community.

Knowing that Rowling, a trans-exclusionary radical feminist, still earns from the game is a hard pill to swallow. Choosing between curbing your nostalgia or taking a stand is a difficult line to tread, so always do your research before making a decision.

But most importantly, it’s high time to stop discrimination against our trans siblings. Trans women are women, and trans men are men. There is no LGBTQ+ without the T.

banner by: @uuhhlexie

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