New Pop Culture Sociology

Gaming has been one of the fastest growing industries of the 21st century and is arguably the most profitable, if not one of the most controversial, under the entertainment umbrella. With the February 2023 release of Warner Bros Games Hogwarts Legacy, it’s no surprise that a lively ongoing debate has been resurrected online between Harry Potter fans and those from the transgender community. The question is, why?

A transgender person is someone whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth. J. K. Rowling, the author of the famed Harry Potter series, has had much to say about the trans community; specifically trans women and their relation to her experience of being a biological woman. It started with a notorious tweet published in June 2020 in response to an article on devex.com titled Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate.

‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for these people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?