The Harry Potter author has scathingly responded to calls for a boycott of the new Hogwarts Legacy game

“Hogwarts Legacy” is a new game in the Harry Potter universe: It is scheduled for release on February 10, 2023 for PS5, PC and Xbox Series X after some postponements. In the run-up to the release, transgender people are calling for a boycott of the game. The reason for the boycott call is author JK Rowling’s stance on the subject of “transgender,” which some see as anti-trans. The 57-year-old author is now biting about such a call.

What is the boycott call about?

• Harry Potter author JK Rowling is, in the eyes of parts of the transgender community, a so-called “TERF”: A feminist so radical that she discriminates against transgender people, especially trans women.
• Rowling essentially says (via jkrowling): Some trans women would want out of the role of “woman” because they see that women are treated worse than men by society. Therefore, the number of gender reassignments has skyrocketed: young girls are confusing the natural search for identity with the idea of ​​being trans. Some men would also pretend to be trans women in order to invade women’s protected spaces.
• As a result, a conflict has erupted between some trans people and JK Rowling, who accuse each other of being hateful. In this context, a boycott of Harry Potter and in particular the new game “Hogwarts Legacy” was also called for.

Purchasing Hogwarts Legacy is ‘harmful’

That was the boycott call: The most well-known representative of the boycott call is Jessie Earl. She had an article on in March 2022 game spot published in which she explained the detrimental impact of JK Rowling’s discriminatory behavior and how the author’s anti-trans statements damaged the Harry Potter universe.

On December 17, Jessie Earl spoke out again, writing: She does not quarrel with people who own previous work by JK Rowling and take refuge in it. She herself owns 9 films and 7 books: but supporting “things” like Hogwarts Legacy is harmful.

Apparently Earl wants to prevent Rowling from selling “new things” and thereby making new money.

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Rowling says “pure believers” would have to burn all of her – including torching the local library

This is how Rowling reacts: In a sarcastic comment, Rowling writes: She is very disappointed in Jessie Earl. Surely that could be better.

If you are a pure believer then owning anything by JK Rowling is incompatible. The truly righteous would also have to burn books and films, burn down the local library, set fire to anything with an owl on it, and burn their own dog.

How is this discussed?t? In the discussion, standpoints are no longer exchanged or arguments presented for one’s own position: the standpoints seem to have been cemented for a long time. The crucial points are apparently irreconcilable:

• Transgender people say trans women are women with rights.
• JK Rowling is skeptical. Questions the motives for gender reassignment for some.

It is now a purely emotional discussion that takes place in personal attacks. A differentiated exchange no longer takes place.

Again and again people accuse JK Rowling of being “hateful towards a marginalized group”:

• Someone writes, “I am deeply disappointed that you have decided that your whole persona revolves around hating a marginalized group.”
• Another person says, “So many opportunities to be a kinder version of yourself. I love the world you created, but I’m disappointed that you don’t represent the values ​​you sold me as a child. Trans women are women.”

This is behind it:

Jessie Earl’s point of view seems to be: It’s okay if you’ve spent money on JK Rowling’s work. But you shouldn’t give her new money by purchasing products from the “Harry Potter” universe, not even the new game.

JK Rowling, on the other hand, obviously feels persecuted here and is following in the tradition of authors whose works were burned for ideological reasons.

How many people who want to buy Hogwarts Legacy ultimately influence the discussion in their purchase decision, we will probably only know when the game actually comes out.

We already dealt extensively with a call for a boycott of the new game on MeinMMO in March 2022:

A German Twitch streamer calls for a boycott of Hogwarts Legacy