Why the new game Hogwarts Legacy is roiling the LGBTQ community
A new Harry Potter game's upcoming release has sparked fierce reactions among trans gamers and LGBTQ allies, as author J K Rowling continues to provoke controversy for her remarks on sex and gender.
Many gamers are leading efforts to explain the harm in buying or playing Hogwarts Legacy, an open-world adventure game set to be released next month.
Others say their plans to support it shouldn't speak to their politics or open them to shame and judgment. And some trans rights opponents have threatened to purchase the game in volumes, turning Hogwarts Legacy" into a battleground deeply dividing the gaming community.
The tensions underscore the pain and difficulty in being a Harry Potter fan of late, with many caught between their deep fondness for a beloved childhood series and their support for the trans community.
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"Everyone's going to have a complicated relationship to that conversation," said Jessie Earl, a 30-year-old trans YouTuber and journalist who uses she/they pronouns.
Last month, Earl declared her own stance. "I will not begrudge anyone their love of past works or thing[s] they already own that they take comfort in," she tweeted.
"I own the first 9 movies and all 7 books myself. But any support of something like Hogwarts Legacy is harmful."
Rowling singled out Earl in a Twitter response that accused her of "purethink" and compared her comment to book burning.
"When I woke up and saw her tweet, I felt my face strain," Earl said. An onslaught of hateful and transphobic comments
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