A new video game will introduce the first transgender character in the “Harry Potter” universe, Variety reported Monday.
J.K. Rowling, the series’ author, has repeatedly spoken out against redefining womanhood to include biological men. In December 2022, she started a women-only service for sex-abuse victims after a Scotland hospital refused to operate on a woman who requested a biologically female nurses. Rowling also criticized the Scottish government for logging male rapists as “female” simply because they claim to be women. (RELATED: College Board Releases Reformed Curriculum After DeSantis Ditches AP Course That Taught ‘Queer Theory’)
The new role-playing game, “Hogwarts Legacy,” features Sirona Ryan, the owner of the Three Broomsticks pub in Hogsmeade Village. Ryan tells players in the game that Hogwarts classmates had to realize the character was “actually a witch, not a wizard,” Variety reported.
Men defining what a woman is, what women should and shouldn’t fear, what women should and shouldn’t say, what rights women should be fine with giving up and, of course, what constitutes ‘real’ misogyny: get a bloody mirror. That’s real misogyny, looking right back at you.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 25, 2023
“Hadn’t seen him in years when he came in a few months ago,” Ryan says in response to a question about a goblin, according to Variety. “But, he recognized me instantly. Which is more than I can say for some of my own classmates. Took them a second to realize I was actually a witch, not a wizard.”
The game’s website states that Rowling was “not involved in the creation of the game,” according to Variety.
“While remaining true to J.K. Rowling’s original vision, Portkey game developers chart new territory by creating fresh ways for fans to immerse themselves in the Wizarding World,” the website says.
The game is scheduled for release Feb. 10.