Hogwarts Legacy hits consoles and PC next week, so expect the ongoing debate over whether buying the game is supporting J.K. Rowling’s transphobia to reach stratospheric levels of anger. Arguments are already raging over whether buying the game is putting money in Rowling’s pocket (it is) or whether boycotting the game is hurting the innocent developers over at Avalanche Studios (probably not, they’ve been paid).
But it’s worth examining how people involved in Harry Potter have already reacted, and who better than Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe. Like the majority of his co-stars, Radcliffe has been unequivocal about supporting trans people, even though expressing that puts him at diametric odds with a woman he considered a friend and launched his career.
Fortunately, we know his exact opinion on the matter courtesy of his 2020 letter posted on The Trevor Project, which provides support to LGBTQ+ people in crisis. The main takeaway here is his unvarnished statement that “transgender women are women”, but his eloquent take is worth revisiting in full:
I realize that certain press outlets will probably want to paint this as in-fighting between J.K. Rowling and myself, but that is really not what this is about, nor is it what’s important right now. While Jo is unquestionably responsible for the course my life has taken, as someone who has been honored to work with and continues to contribute to The Trevor Project for the last decade, and just as a human being, I feel compelled to say something at this moment.
Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I. According to The Trevor Project, 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported being the subject of discrimination due to their gender identity. It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm.
I am still learning how to be a better ally, so if you want to join me in learning more about transgender and nonbinary identities check out The Trevor Project’s Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth. It’s an introductory educational resource that covers a wide range of topics, including the differences between sex and gender, and shares best practices on how to support transgender and nonbinary people.
To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you. If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe, capable of overcoming anything; if they taught you that strength is found in diversity, and that dogmatic ideas of pureness lead to the oppression of vulnerable groups; if you believe that a particular character is trans, nonbinary, or gender fluid, or that they are gay or bisexual; if you found anything in these stories that resonated with you and helped you at any time in your life — then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred. And in my opinion nobody can touch that. It means to you what it means to you and I hope that these comments will not taint that too much.
Love always,
Dan
More recently, Radcliffe explained why he felt speaking out was important, saying in a November 2022 interview with IndieWire:
“The reason I felt very, very much as though I needed to say something when I did was because, particularly since finishing ‘Potter,’ I’ve met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter on that, and so seeing them hurt on that day I was like, I wanted them to know that not everybody in the franchise felt that way. And that was really important.”
Ultimately, whether you choose to buy or play Hogwarts Legacy is a matter for you alone, though purchasing the game isn’t without consequences. Warner Bros. will be eagerly analyzing the sales data for the game to see if the vocal backlash against Rowling’s views affects the franchise’s bottom line.
If the game performs poorly in sales charts, it’ll be seen as a rebuke to Rowling’s views and proof that consumers are willing to put their money where their mouth is and skip what may very well be an entertaining game. If it’s a hit despite all this, Warner Bros. will likely consider such an outcome as giving it free rein to continue monetizing Rowling’s franchise.