But it’s helpful to remember that barely a fifth of adults in the U.S. But honestly, I suspect that the biggest reason is that most people either don’t care very much about the controversy or haven’t even heard of it.Ī lot of back-and-forth about the game takes place on Twitter, which we sometimes fool ourselves into thinking accurately represents what people are talking about offline. Is this partially due to reactionary fans buying extra copies of the game so they can “own the libs” or whatever? Probably, and that’s quite silly. Like I said, pre-orders have been robust all signs point to Hogwarts Legacy being a financial success. The issue is that the boycott didn’t work. Hogwarts Legacy is a hit, so what’s the point of a boycott? Rowling’s influence will further diminish, she won’t get as much money as she otherwise would have, and there will be one less powerful voice arguing against the equality of trans people.
In the abstract, I get it: if the game doesn’t do well, it won’t get a sequel, J.K. And that brings us to the boycott of Hogwarts Legacy. Understandably, some people don’t want to give money to someone who intends to use their considerable power and influence to make life harder for trans people. For instance, she recently came out against a bill that would have made it less difficult for Scottish citizens to legally change their gender as of this writing, the bill has passed the Scottish parliament but was blocked by the government of the United Kingdom by royal assent, effectively neutering the will of the elected legislature. What makes Rowling especially pernicious is that, unlike a lot of transphobes, she’s rich, famous and influential enough to sway public opinion, which is dangerous when her goal is to stop trans people from getting more rights or to roll back the ones they have. Her essay is that kind of thing over and over again, but for nearly 4,000 words. Rowling is parroting a baseless bigoted talking point here, even if she couches it in polite terms. In short, allowing trans people into bathrooms that match their gender won’t do any harm, but barring them might. Ignoring the fact that anybody can walk into any public bathroom as they please right this very second, the science has long since put this argument to bed studies show that trans-inclusive policies make no difference when it comes to bathroom safety, and other studies show that trans people are at a greater risk of violence than cis people.
Among many other points, she argues that if trans women are allowed into female public restrooms, it would “open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside,” implying that will put cis women in danger. I don’t want to get too sidetracked with a discussion of whether Rowling is actually transphobic, but I know that a lot of people aren’t convinced, so let’s use an example from her essay. It’s a long story, but to summarize, it started when Rowling started to say some dicey things on Twitter a few years back, and reached its zenith in 2020 when she published a lengthy essay where she misgendered trans people, implied that they’re dangerous or confused, and generally peddled in fear-mongering stereotypes disproven with a glance at the research or just by talking to trans people about their experiences. Online, Hogwarts Legacy is also a point of controversy, because pretty much everything associated with the Harry Potter franchise has been radioactive ever since author J.K. The game is racking up preorders and getting solid reviews. Games will release Hogwarts Legacy, a role-playing game set in the Harry Potteruniverse, aka the Wizarding World.
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