The Hogwarts Legacy Steam Forums are in a mess right now

While not every Harry Potter The fan is transphobic, like JK Rowling, a new open-world RPG. Hogwarts legacy seems to bring out the most dedicated fanatics in full force. In the pre-launch period, the game’s discussion forums on Steamthe leading PC platform filled with hateful, transphobic posts from people who are clearly itching to touch grass.

Bye Hogwarts legacy was developed by Warner Bros., the game has caused a lot of controversy because of its series creator. JK Rowling is known for posting transphobic views on Twitter. opposing legislation this will make it easier for transgender people to survive and spread disinformation about trans medicine. The leading LGBTQ media organization even holds page “responsibility” about Rowling’s destructive actions against transgender and non-binary people.

Rowling was not directly involved in the development Hogwarts legacybut she is reported to get a profit from use in the game Harry Potter IP. It is understandable that many people who are sympathetic to transgender rights do not want to spend money on the game, and many of them called for a boycott. Spores around colored Heritagelaunch. A cursory glance at the discussions on Steam, you will notice that every one or two pages there is one transphobic or defensive comment. Perhaps this was inevitable since Valve only moderates the Steam forums. if users flag problematic content. Now that the game is running, Steam users leave 2-3 pages of comments every minute or so.

Content warning: transphobic language

Lots of comments about HeritageThe Steam forums weren’t even dedicated to the game itself. Some messages thanked Rowling for upsetting “woken up” players and “preventing” queer people from playing the game. Another read: “Dear gay and transgender people in the discussions… If you can’t come to terms with the fact that people are different [from] you, you can’t stand five minutes outside. Bro, I’m not the sad person who posts transphobic rubbish on the Steam forums. another proudly proclaimed that they didn’t like Harry Potter but wanted to buy the game to support Rowling.

Heritage includes a character named Sirona Ryan, who is the franchise’s first trans woman. Anyway she is an example of good representation is not the main topic of discussion on the Steam forums. Instead, most of the comments bullying his gender And inclusion V Heritage (including one particularly disgusting post about her skirt, which I won’t link to). I don’t know if Ryan’s existence should be a true olive branch for the trans community, but transphobes have poisoned any opportunity for honest discussion of her on Steam.

Of course, there is also the usual kind of transphobia that transgender people are so accustomed to seeing online. One a thread over 100 comments equated being transgender with mental illness. Other wanted All strange people are dying crazy. Another a thread which indirectly compared transgender people to animals was so dirty that the moderator effectively blocked it. The vast majority of the Steam forums are still wild west and some players sick two sides argue in comments. Kotaku reached out to Valve to ask if they intended to moderate these transphobic comments, but had not received a response as of press time.

Not everyone was a hating poop. Some were shocked on the volume of transphobia on the gaming discussion forum. Other had tried speak out against transphobes. Unfortunately, there can only be one way to save these boards: destroy them completely.