Players of the the fictional sport quidditch are looking to “distance” themselves from Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling and rename their pursuit, upset her rejection of transgenderism does not align with their beliefs.
The U.S. Quidditch (USQ) and Major League Quidditch (MLQ) announced Sunday they will choose a new name for their real-life version of the broomstick-based recreation following the controversy.
The Sun reports non-magic players of the game, made famous by Rowling’s Harry Potter series, play in teams of seven on a hockey field while riding above a “broom” held between their legs.
The “muggle” version of the game – which features flying and enchanted balls in the Hogwarts universe – is played the world over but may soon come with a new name.
In a joint statement, a spokesperson for the USQ and MLQ is quoted by the Sun saying: “The leagues are hoping a name change can help them continue to distance themselves from the works of J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter book series, who has increasingly come under scrutiny for her anti-trans positions in recent years.
J.K. Rowling arrives at the 2019 RFK Ripple of Hope Awards at New York Hilton Midtown on December 12, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Competitors take part in a match of Quidditch, Harry Potter’s magical and fictional game, during the 4th Quidditch World Cup, in New York, November 13, 2010. (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)
“Our sport has developed a reputation as one of the most progressive sports in the world on gender equality and inclusivity, in part thanks to its gender maximum rule, which stipulates that a team may not have more than four players of the same gender on the field at a time.
“Both organizations feel it is imperative to live up to this reputation in all aspects of their operations and believe this move is a step in that direction.”
Rowling has long questioned transgender ideology and holds there are two sexes and only women can conceive and have children. She has stated publicly transgender ideology will erase women and gays from the law and culture.
Rowling also came under fire from activists last year after mocking the use of the phrase “people who menstruate” in menstrual health guidance.
The author has since been subjected to abuse for criticising the view that male and female sexes do not exist. She argued “erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives”.
The transgender movement has countered by saying each person’s biological sex is determined by their personal feeling of “gender,” not by their biology.
This claim demands governments force people of all ages to agree men do become real women whenever the men declare they have the “gender identity” of a woman.
It also requires everyone to accept the construct a man’s penis becomes a woman’s penis when he says so, and it requires all to encourage confused children to take risky and irreversible drugs and cosmetic surgery.
Rowling will have none of it and is not afraid to say so.
Actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Eddie Redmayne who have profited by associating with the Harry Potter series are amongst those who have scolded Rowling and her views.
US Quidditch (USQ) and Major League Quidditch (MLQ) confirmed Sunday they will now conduct a poll to determine a new name for their sport.