Despite repeated controversies over Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling’s views about the transgender community, it seems the wizarding world may have debuted its first transgender character.
In Hogwarts Legacy, the open-world role-playing game debuting this Friday, Sirona Ryan is a witch who owns and runs the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade village. At one point, the character describes her interaction with a goblin and her own classmates’ mistaken view of her gender.
“We met when I was waiting tables here as a student — well before I bought the place,” Sirona says. “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.”
The game also reportedly allows players to mix any variation of the offered masculine and feminine character appearances as well as voices.
Hogwarts Legacy game director Alan Tew told IGN, “We know our fans fell in love with the Wizarding World, and we believe they fell in love with it for the right reasons. We know that’s a diverse audience. For us, it’s making sure that the audience, who always dreamed of having this game, had the opportunity to feel welcomed back. That they have a home here and that it’s a good place to tell their story.”