Ever since I was in second grade, I have been a huge fan of the Harry Potter series. They were the first full-length novels I'd read, and the movie adaptations remain some of my favorite films of all time. The world of Harry Potter is one of magic, mystery, intrigue, heroism, and coming-of-age, and for an imaginative kid like me it had major appeal.
So, when I heard that a high-budget, ambitious, open-world video game set in the Harry Potter world was to be released in early 2023, I was overjoyed. Ever since I was a kid, I had dreamed of a game like this - a game where you could be a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learn magic spells, interact with magical beasts, and fight dark wizards and monsters. It sounded like a dream come true, and one that I and millions of others had been eagerly anticipating for years.
When Hogwarts Legacy was released, I bought the game and I have played through almost all of it - and it did not disappoint. The graphics are amazing, the gameplay is fun and engaging, the world is beautiful and massive, and the characters are all well-developed, sympathetic, and unique.
But it seems in these recent times, no form of media can be separated from contemporary social justice issues and pointless, manufactured controversy. And Hogwarts Legacy (and by extension the entire Harry Potter franchise) is no exception.
In recent years, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling had made some controversial comments about the transgender community - many of which have been construed as transphobic or trans-exclusionary and have generated a sizable backlash. Such comments began when Rowling ridiculed an article by Devex which had used the term "people who menstruate" instead of "women".
Upon receiving criticism for the tweet, Rowling doubled down, claiming that the term "people who menstruate" was demeaning to women and that trans activism was "erasing" women's rights activism. However, she also expressed sympathy for the trans community and later stated that "trans women need and deserve protection"; though she also repeated numerous falsehoods about detransitioning statistics and made the assertion that "there are only two sexes".
Whether or not J.K. Rowling is transphobic, however, is not the issue here. I personally believe her comments are more the result of ignorance than they are of hate, but I will leave that determination to the individual reader. What is an issue, though, is the backlash against the Harry Potter franchise by supposed "allies" of the transgender community.
Almost as soon as Hogwarts Legacy was announced, many "social justice warriors" announced they would boycott the game to protest J.K. Rowling's "transphobia" and encouraged others to do the same. Of course, there is nothing wrong with not buying a game. There is, however, something wrong with smearing the game, its creators, and its players as "bigots" or "transphobes" - and that has become a recurring theme with this boycott.
"Yes, you are a bad human being if you buy a video game, sending money directly to a woman who has gleefully stated, publicly, here on Twitter, that any time you spend money on her she uses it to hurt people", wrote one such "ally" by the name of Doc Buford, who claims to be a game development consultant. "You are voting with your wallet. You are saying bigotry is good".
Of course, it should be said that J.K. Rowling had absolutely nothing to do with the development of Hogwarts Legacy; only receiving royalties for the game's use of her intellectual property (as she should). In fact, Hogwarts Legacy even has a transgender character as one of the main protagonists of the game, and players can even make their character transgender if they so choose.
But these facts haven't satisfied the angry mob. Streamers who have played the game have received online harassment, hate mail, and even death threats. Popular Twitch streamer Hasan Piker cancelled a planned stream of Hogwarts Legacy after receiving a flood of angry messages accusing him of being transphobic - apparently unaware (or not caring) that the stream was supposed to help raise money for people affected by the recent devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
"Selling out is easier than being an ally, I see", commented another person on a positive review of Hogwarts Legacy by Joe Vargas of the video game channel "The Angry Joe Show". "Guess you are a bigot now. Trans lives don't matter to you".
"I am truly disappointed in you", wrote another user. "You know this will support one of the most vocal transphobes in the world, yet you did it anyway."
Gaming YouTuber "The Act Man" also found himself on the receiving end of hateful messages.
"GTFO, transphobe-in-hiding", wrote one angry user on his Twitter page. "Stop being a coward and just own your shit".
Even some opinion columnists for major outlets joined in on the boycott. "I threw away my Harry Potter books", wrote Emmie Harrison-West for The Metro. "As a trans ally, I couldn't keep them any longer". And columnist Jaina Gray of Wired magazine gave Hogwarts Legacy a score of 1/10, accusing the game of being "mid at best" and "rooted in antisemitic tropes".
Normally, I wouldn't give much care or credence to the condescending cretins crying and complaining about this game. But in a time where trans rights are very much under attack by the right-wing, I cannot stay silent about this insanity.
Of all the marginalized communities in the world, the trans community is arguably the worst served by its supposed allies, and the "controversy" over Hogwarts Legacy is a stark example of this. These supposed "allies" of the trans community have done absolutely nothing to help trans people or protect them from harm.
While these self-involved fools have been screeching and wailing over a video game - a video game which has absolutely NOTHING to do with transphobia, antisemitism, bigotry, or the likes - right-wing vigilantes have been hassling drag shows across the United States, GOP-led legislatures have been passing bills blocking access to gender-affirming care by LGBT youth, and trans people and their ACTUAL allies have been smeared by right-wing pundits, populists, and demagogues as "pedophiles" and "groomers".
Trans rights are under constant assault by actual bigots doing real-world harm, and instead of working to combat the rising tide of hatred, these malfeasant cretins see it fit to pointlessly virtue-signal and sanctimoniously smear, vilify, and harass normal people for the "crime" of simply enjoying a video game. If anything, these supposed "allies" have been detrimental to the community they claim to be protecting, because in their misguided campaign of faux self-righteous indignation they have portrayed the trans community and themselves to be little more than bitter, angry, and vindictive lunatics who harass, bully, and vilify normal people for enjoying a video game.
And this brings me to my final point. If you want to help the trans community, there are plenty of ways to do so. Donate to charities such as the Trevor Project or Trans Lifeline, which have saved the lives of thousands of at-risk LGBT youth and have pushed for legislation to protect LGBT rights. Expose and publicly condemn the actual bigots who are promoting hateful legislation in states like Tennessee, Florida, and South Carolina, where right-wing demagogues are pushing to ban drag shows, LGBT education, and gender-affirming care under the faux moral guise of "protecting children".
Whining about a video game helps nobody. No trans person is going to be saved by you bullying and harassing a Harry Potter fan. No progress is going to be made for LGBT rights by you boycotting Hogwarts Legacy or throwing away your Harry Potter books. If you want to make a difference, then put in the effort to actually make effective, real-world change, and stop using the trans community - which is arguably the most at-risk marginalized community in the western world right now - as a vessel for your pointless internet clout.
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