Hogwarts Legacy: A Morality Test

Hogwarts Legacy is finally in player’s hands and the outspokenness against the game has only gotten louder. Before the game’s release many people in the trans community called for a boycott of the game. The boycott has divided gamers due to the moral obligation that some trans people have started to impose on players, going as far as to say that purchasing it harms the trans community directly.

I wanted to share my thoughts on whether purchasing and playing this game promotes transphobia, what the developers have done and could do better to show solidarity for trans people, the online discourse surrounding the game, and lastly my brief review of what I have played so far. Put your thinking hats on and let’s sort this out.

Growing up my family loved Harry Potter. My mother and step-father would take my brother and I to all of the newest films and they would read each new book as it came out. I remember my mother being so upset when Dumbledore and Snape died and never really getting it. I never had the same interest in the series that they did but I was grateful that my parents weren’t like my neighbors and didn’t believe that reading about witchcraft was sinful. It was a series that was fun to watch but it never held any real significance to me. The only time it interested me was when my brother and I would play some of the games that came out based on the films. Those and of course the original PlayStation game, can’t forget about that low-poly Hagrid.

I can’t imagine how soul crushing it is for trans people for whom this series resonated with more deeply. I think about how I would feel if I knew that my favorite author or artists were to suddenly start spreading hate that dehumanized my entire existence. It saddens me that a series so many people my age have grown up to love now has become such a trigger for my community, especially during a time when our rights are consistently being targeted.

It is understandable why people are angry, I am equally angry. Dave Chappelle just won a Grammy for his Netflix special The Closer, which was abhorrently transphobic, and J.K Rowling has enabled right-wing fascists like Matt Walsh to focus right wing hatred towards anyone different than them. A time when gender affirming care is being restricted for all trans people, while we are simultaneously being called groomers, evil, and demonic. The transgender community is hurting, and every day the world seems a little more bleak than the day before. Outrage is inevitable, but what happens when that outrage is misdirected?

The day before Hogwarts Legacy was released it was revealed that someone had created a website where Twitch names could be searched in the hopes of seeing who had streamed the game. It didn’t take long after the site was up for people to jump into twitch streamers chats and begin expressing their disappointment over the game being played. The site has since been removed by its creator but it says a lot about the anger that people hold toward this game and J.K Rowling.

Another piece of information that was revealed before the game’s launch was that it featured the first trans character in the Wizarding World, a trans woman named Sirona Ryan. She is a barkeep and the player meets her fairly early on in their journey. Many people on Twitter, including some prominent trans figures and allies, took to making derogatory comments about her name and voice. They also began spreading misinformation about the character, such as people in the game would refer to her as “sir”, and that Rowling had some involvement in the name making process. None of which is true since Rowling had no involvement with the game.

Why is it acceptable for other trans people and our supposed allies to purposefully not only misgender a trans character but also make fun of her voice because it happens to be a bit deeper? What makes this behavior okay when it is coming from people who are actively discriminated against for the same exact reasons? It’s okay to not like a character in a work of fiction, but the comments are also directly hurting the voice talent who gave the character life, which happens to be a trans woman.

As if these comments weren’t bad enough, people then began noxiously spreading spoilers about the game’s ending. People like Alejandra Caraballo, (who is otherwise very well written and articulate in her discussions involving anti-trans legislation) has even been guilty of doing this. The end goal here being to take away any enjoyment while playing the game. It comes off a bit vindictive and misguided when people are trying to take their minds off the current state of the world for a little bit and being engrossed in a world that once gave them comfort.

I have played the game for roughly ten hours now and I wanted to discuss a few aspects of it that I believe the developers have done well despite this backlash. I promise not to discuss any major spoilers related to the story without a warning.

When the player meets Sirona Ryan she defends the main character from these two male antagonists. After this quest many students, including the main character, often bring up how they commend Sirona for her bravery during this event. Perhaps I am giving too much credit to the writers but I wonder if this usage of “bravery” when referencing a trans character was intentional. After all trans people are typically told how brave we are for having to navigate the world as our true selves. Maybe the characters are just valuing that she stood up for herself who knows.

When a YouTube video of the character first came out I was a bit skeptical. I was unsure if she was voiced by a trans woman and went on a deep dive to find her voice actor. After listening to other videos of Rebecca Root and the fact she is the only trans person listed in the voice over credits, it was pretty clear. I also reached out to her and received confirmation.

I got the sense from Rebecca that some of the online discourse has gotten to her, hence why she didn’t want to speak further about her involvement in the game. I had hoped to ask her how the company treated her and what brought her to want to get involved with this world despite it being created by Rowling. It seems she is aware of the controversary going on and it makes me sad to think that maybe she has seen some of the comments from people who have ridiculed her voice or were angry at her involvement in the first place.

Had Avalanche not had a trans woman voice this character I would have had my reservations, as we know cis men are often given more opportunities to play trans women in film and television than their transgender counterparts. I appreciate Avalanche for giving Rebecca Root the role as she certainly seems like a lovely woman. However, even with Sirona’s dialogue and now being confirmed to be voiced by a trans woman, people are still skeptical about her character. Some people are even wondering if Sirona Ryan is even trans at all.

This article makes the argument that her single line of dialogue isn’t explicit enough. There is another LGBTQ character in the game that does explicitly refer to being gay but regarding Sirona it can be a bit vague. To some extent, I agree. Avalanche has not come out and confirmed if Sirona Ryan is trans. When they were asked about her development and background in the game they stated:

"The best way to get to know any character is to delve into the game."

Avalanche avoided most questions about Sirona, and simply stated that they were excited for the launch and for players to discover on their own the multitude of LGBTQ characters. I am on the fence about their statements as I believe that if they had come out and explicitly said she is trans they would be accused of pandering. On the other hand, knowing the controversy surrounding the game and J.K Rowling’s transphobic comments, perhaps Avalanche should have taken more a direct stand so that players would feel more welcome and supported.

I would also like to point out, in response to the article linked above, that a YouTube video of Sirona’s remaining dialogue and quest has been uploaded, and I wanted to discuss her remaining lines below. Beware of spoilers.

*SPOILER WARNING*

“A Friend in Deed”

In this quest Sirona asks the player to find some letters for her that she and a childhood friend would write one another. During the quest the player finds letters written to Sirona from students, one of which is named Mirabel. Some of the the contents of the letter are below:

“When you told me about how nervous you had been to come to Hogwarts. I looked at you and it seemed beyond my imagination to think of you as anything but the confident, contented witch sitting before me.”

“I marveled at how you charmed everyone around you without apology, embracing who you were.

“I realized that I could choose that path as well. The frightened first-year witch that I had been seems worlds away. I know it’s because you saw yourself in that despairing creature in the corner of the pub and so generously extended yourself to her”

I do feel as if this letter heavily implies that Sirona’s bravery in being a witch and not a wizard, helped a younger trans witch student walk the same path. We find out later in the quest that these letters were actually sent by the herbologist professor when she was younger. In the final bits of dialogue from Sirona she says:

“I know she wouldn’t have minded you seeing that letter-she and I are of a similar mind-especially when it comes to young people. We believe experience to be an invaluable teacher. To borrow a phrase from Mirabel, it’s a joy to see anyone “blossom”, but particularly one who doubted they ever would.”

During this time of anti-trans legislation targeting primarily trans youth, I find this dialogue to be remarkably poignant. Even if it isn’t explicitly talking about trans people and the possibility that Sirona gave Mirabel courage to transition, the lines are still equally valuable and important.

EDIT: It has since been confirmed that Mirabel is actually gay, as she is described as such in the Hogwarts Legacy artbook.

*END SPOILERS*

With all of this being said; no, this isn’t explicitly saying the character is trans. But does the game really need to? I understand wanting the developers to say one way or the other during this time, but as I said I don’t believe it would make it much of a difference to those critiquing the game’s ethics. It’s possible people would say Avalanche is experiencing the “Rowling effect” and retcon-ing a character’s identity, much like Dumbledore despite there being significant differences. Would the author of the article above also not think the character of Wekatta in Horizon: Forbidden West is trans either, as the only line of dialogue that hints towards this is “When I chose to wear a woman’s armor, people called me crazy too.” (She is also voiced by Rebecca Root by the way)

While J.K Rowling has her dehumanizing views on the trans community, this game does not in any way reflect those views. I believe there is an argument to be made that those who play this game who may be unaware of her opinions, (because let’s be honest the general public may not keep up with “the discourse”) are likely going to walk away from the experience better for it. The story is well written, the characters are diverse, and there seems to be a good amount of love and hard work that was put into it.

Taking in everything so far let’s discuss whether buying and playing Hogwarts Legacy promotes transphobia and directly harms the trans community. The main argument that people have been using in favor of it harming trans people is that J.K Rowling financially benefits from royalties off of the Wizarding World. In turn she would then use those royalties to fund organizations that are anti-trans. I first wanted to take a look at the charities that Rowling has and currently donates to and go from there. Below are some of the known organizations J.K Rowling has donated to.

• Lumos

• Book Aid International

• Children with AIDS

• Haven Foundation

• Women’s Fund for Scotland

• Multiple Sclerosis Society

• PEN International

From what I could find, none of these organizations would necessarily effect trans people. In December of 2022 however, it was announced that J.K Rowling along with five other women would be launching a new sexual violence support service for women in Scotland. The catch being that these services would not be provided to trans women. A spokesperson for Beira’s Place said,

“We believe that women deserve to have certainty that, in using our services, they will not encounter anyone who is male. Where appropriate, we will refer men or individuals identifying as trans women to other appropriate services”

Obviously this is absolutely horrendous, so much so that Rape Crisis Scotland told the BBC that all sexual violence centers should be readily available to trans and non-conforming people, and have been so for over 15 years. Any money Rowling puts into this center actively discriminates and does in fact harm trans people, but the other charities that she’s contributed a large portion of her wealth to, don’t. Is it really fair to say that the money someone has spent on Hogwarts Legacy is directly going to organizations like this? Couldn’t it also be going literally anywhere else?

The point being we simply don’t know the majority of the time where our money is directly going, so this whole idea of funding transphobia isn’t really backed by much evidence. Regardless if this boycott had worked Rowling would still be in the same position financially to fund any future anti-trans organizations. I also want to point out there that has not been any evidence that J.K Rowling gets paid per sale, but rather it’s possible she had an agreement with WB where she received a lump sum up front. As of right now we just don’t know. But since the argument has been that each copy bought of this game promotes transphobia, it’s just a bit difficult for me to get behind.

Couldn’t this same argument about funding also be used regarding actively using Twitter? Now that Elon Musk owns the platform and has made several anti-trans comments in addition to allowing stochastic terrorists like Libs of TikTok remain on the platform, isn’t everyone who still uses Twitter propping up someone who is actively harming the trans community? People don’t need to be paying for the social platform to promote transphobia as their usage of the platform continues to increase engagement, and thus keeps it alive. Everyone uses it for their own reasons, and a lot of trans people (myself included) remain on the platform to continue to spread awareness and to share current anti-trans legislation. But if purchasing Hogwarts Legacy promotes transphobia doesn’t this too? Even if it is just a means to an end.

Transphobia comes in all shapes and sizes and if I am being honest I have seen more of it from the online discourse surrounding this game than the game itself. I have been told that my opinions don’t matter because I pay for Twitter, despite the reason being that I do it in the hopes that my outreach will be greater. I’ve also been told I am actively fighting against my community even though I have done nothing but use my platforms for the past 8 years to spread awareness to trans issues. Lastly I have been called a Nazi sympathizer for pointing out that it’s hypocritical to be angry at those purchasing Hogwarts Legacy despite many people unknowingly spending their money at other corporations who have in fact donated funds to the GOP. I suppose my biggest question at the end of all this is where do we draw the line? Is it at that cup of Starbucks coffee? People’s use of Amazon out of occasional convenience? Is it Hogwarts Legacy? I’m really not sure anymore.