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Those keen to engage with the game need to reckon with this harm – whether that means removing their support entirely, separating the creation from Rowling (who had no direct involvement in development, though does benefit financially from sales), or choosing to support alternative causes. While developed in earnest, during the height of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts fever, it now exists in the ‘after’ – a period defined only by Rowling’s unfortunate, ignorant views and refusal to acknowledge just how much harm her rants have caused.
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This is largely why Hogwarts Legacy is in an extremely difficult, unenviable position. When questioned how she sleeps at night, knowing she’s alienated her entire fanbase, her official, smug response was: ‘ I read my most recent royalty cheques and find the pain goes away pretty quickly.’ She has also frequently posted anti-trans articles on Twitter, self-identified as a TERF (Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist), and frequently targeted fans attempting to explain the harm she’s caused, in an attempt to have them ‘dogpiled’ by her rabid fanbase.ĭespite frequent requests from the trans community to leave them alone, Rowling continues to double down on her beliefs, tainting the legacy of Harry Potter, a favourite childhood story of many. Since 2020, Rowling has gone from questioning the definition of women to referring to transgender people as ‘ penised individuals‘ liable to initiate rape. What began as misinformed rhetoric from Rowling implying the rights of transgender people and their desire to be respected somehow infringed on the rights of cisgender women, has quickly morphed into openly derogatory, public comments made about the transgender community, and a refusal to walk back harm. Harry Potter and the Wizarding World in 2023
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