Reddit users boycotting Hogwarts Legacy game in protest of JK Rowling
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The debate has now spilled over onto Twitter as Reddit users are boycotting Hogwarts Legacy. Circlejerk has divided internet opinion over Hogwarts Legacy, an upcoming game. A role-playing game based on the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts series is scheduled to launch on 10th February 2023, but the reception may not be as warm as expected. Fans are torn over whether to support the highly-anticipated game despite the franchise being one of the most successful in movie history.
In an effort to raise awareness of JK Rowling’s controversial TERF title, Redditor and Gaming Circlejerk subreddit moderator GrizzlyPeak72 left followers a friendly reminder. They wrote that anyone who pledges to support her monetarily is a transphobe as well. In case you don’t know, TERF stands for transgender exclusionary radical feminist, a term that reports Forbes was invented over a decade ago by a cisgender heterosexual female writer. JK Rowling clarified her support for the trans community in a tweet of defense in 2020, though the term describes feminists who are transphobic.
‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020
Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate https://t.co/cVpZxG7gaA
HOGWARTS LEGACY And JK Rowling Controversy Over Transphobia Fuels Reddit Debate
There are millions of fans of the Harry Potter books and the universe they spawned. Therefore, it is truly unfortunate that the franchise’s creator, J.K. demonstrates the worst kind of bigotry towards transgender people over and over again. With Hogwarts Legacy soon to be released, bigotry is once again in the spotlight. This may also explain the explosion in anti-Hogwarts Legacy sentiment on the left-leaning subreddit r/GamingCircleJerk. This subreddit is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek parody of r/Gaming, hence its name. It’s usually jokes, but there are occasional “unjerk” posts that are sincere, like when moderator GrizzlyPeak72 posted a photo of Rowling and the cover of the game on Wednesday along with the following text: A friendly reminder from your modteam that this woman is a TERF and anyone who pledges money to her is also a transphobe.
In that post alone, over 3,700 comments were left, and that was only the beginning. Across Reddit and social media, the post and the wider mentality underlying it were discussed. Several voices protested, claiming that supporting Hogwarts Legacy is not the same as supporting Rowling. According to o thers, buying the game directly supports the bigoted author. There have been some comments bringing up the questionable parts of the Potter canon. Despite the fact that Rowling openly repeats TERF ideology, some people still believe that she is not a TERF at all. There has been a lot of support on the GamingCircleJerk subreddit for mod GrizzlyPeak72’s initial post, both in joking and serious ways, which is not surprising since the group mocks the closed-minded anti-gay, anti-women, anti-trans viewpoints that still persist in gaming communities today. More than 1,000 transphobes have been banned from the subreddit since GrizzlyPeak72 posted the initial “unjerk.” Despite pirating the game, many people say they intend to play it. There has even been discussion on the Harry Potter subreddit about the content and views of the game’s creator.
I won’t be purchasing it either. I cannot watch the bigotry that comes from Jk Rowling and continue to support her financially. Hogwarts legacy seems like the kind of HP game I dreamed of when I was a kid – so it’s sad reality for my inner child. https://t.co/4ctUpOgSiO
— ✨Kirsty ✨ (@MagicKeewee) December 27, 2022
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