‘Hogwarts Legacy’ Video Game Debuts Trans Character Despite J.K. Rowling’s Politics

Sirona Ryan, a Three Broomsticks barkeep, hints at her transgender identity

Warner Bros Games

The open-world role-playing video game “Hogwarts Legacy” has added a transgender character to the Harry Potter universe.

Sirona Ryan, a witch who owns the Hogsmeade bar The Three Broomsticks, suggests she transitioned in a line of dialogue when she introduces herself to the player, who engages with her to learn more info about a goblin named Lodgok. 

“I’ve known [Lodgok] for years. We met when I was waiting tables here as a student — well before I bought the place,” Sirona says per Entertainment Weekly. “He was cordial enough, but we weren’t friends then. His mistrust of wizardkind ran deep… Hadn’t seen him in years when he came in a few months ago. 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.”

4k Trailer for “Hogwarts Legacy”

The game has undergone discussion in the fandom following author J.K. Rowling’s continued remarks about trans people. The creator of the wizarding world has stated previously that she supports the trans community, but her comments connected to the TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminists) movement have sparked backlash from the LGBTQ+ community.

TheWrap has reached out to a rep for Warner Bros. for comment.

Sebastian Croft, who recently appeared in Netflix’s “Heartstopper” and who also portrayed young Ned Stark in HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” provides the masculine voice option, or Voice 1, of the playable character in the game. The avatar character starts school at Hogwarts as a fifth year student. The actor recently apologized publicly to anyone he may have hurt by participating in the game’s creation.

Rowling is set to receive some of the profits from game sales when it launches Friday Feb. 10 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, thus consumers are heavily considering whether or not to purchase the game.

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