In a new ‘Diverse’ video game, the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise appears to introduce its first trans character

February 7, 2023February 7, 2023 Editor

The Hogwarts Legacy makers said their “priority” was to “create a game that is representative and diverse, aligning with our wonderful fan community”

The new video game Hogwarts Legacy appears to introduce the Harry Potter universe’s first transgender character.

The game (which will be available on select platforms this Friday) features Sirona Ryan, the owner of the Three Broomsticks, who gamers believe is transgender based on a line of dialogue, though this is never explicitly stated.

Sirona, according to CNN, says at one point, “When he came in a few months ago, I hadn’t seen him in years. But he recognised me right away, which I can’t say for some of my classmates. It took them a moment to realise I was a witch, not a wizard.”

The inclusion of a transgender character comes after J.K. Rowling, the author and creator of the Potter franchise, came under fire in June 2020 when she appeared to support anti-transgender sentiments in a series of tweets. Though she denied that her views on feminism are transphobic, she doubled down on her controversial standpoints in a lengthy essay shared on her website days later.

Responding to backlash back in June 2020, Rowling, now 57, wrote that she refuses to “bow down to a movement that I believe is doing demonstrable harm in seeking to erode ‘woman’ as a political and biological class and offering cover to predators like few before it.”

According to the official website, Rowling was not involved in the development of the Hogwarts Legacy video game. “But,” the site added, “as the creator of the Wizarding World and one of the world’s greatest storytellers, her extraordinary body of writing is the foundation of all projects in the Wizarding World. This is not a new story from J.K. Rowling, but we have worked closely with her team on all aspects of the game to ensure it stays true to the magical experiences fans have come to expect.”

A spokesperson for the game’s studio, Portkey Games, a Warner Bros. Games label, told IGN about the game’s LGBTQ characters and the studio’s intention to make it more inclusive.

“It has been a high priority throughout the development of Hogwarts Legacy to create a game that is representative and diverse, aligning with our wonderful fan community,” said Portkey Games. “Offering players choices in the way they play the game is an element that we have worked on since the start of development. The Character Creator is just one example of that and of course, the large, diverse cast of characters present throughout the game has also had a huge amount of thought from Avalanche and Warner Bros. Games, as well as counsel from outside D&I experts.”

Portkey Games added, “The team felt that it was very important to create a game that is representative of the rich and diverse world of Harry Potter as well as the groups of people who play games, which includes the LGBTQIA+ community. We have a diverse cast of characters that players will encounter throughout the game.”

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint have all spoken out against Rowling’s controversial remarks about the transgender community. In a previous essay for The Trevor Project, Radcliffe, 33, stated unequivocally that “transgender women are women.”

“Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and runs counter to all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject than Jo or I,” Radcliffe wrote at the time.

“According to The Trevor Project, 78% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported being discriminated against because of their gender identity,” he added. “It is obvious that we must do more to support transgender and nonbinary people rather than invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm.”

Hogwarts Legacy is available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC this Friday, then for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on April 4, and for Nintendo Switch on July 25.