'Hogwarts Legacy' appears to debut the first transgender character in the Harry Potter universe

• "Hogwarts Legacy" appears to feature the first transgender character in the Harry Potter universe.
• The character follows a history of transphobic remarks from Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling.

"Hogwarts Legacy," the new open-world game set in the Harry Potter universe, has seemingly introduced its first transgender character following J.K. Rowling's history of transphobic comments.

The highly-anticipated game centers on a fifth-year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the 1880s. According to Entertainment Weekly, it introduces Sirona Ryan, the proprietor of the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade and a character who seems to refer to themselves as transgender.

Players speak with Sirona during a quest involving a goblin named Lodgok, Entertainment Weekly reported.

"I've known [Lodgok] for years. We met when I was waiting tables here as a student — well before I bought the place," Sirona tells the player, per Entertainment Weekly.

"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."

As The Daily Dot reported, there's been some backlash to the character, with people noting that her name begins with the masculine title "Sir," as well as accusations of tokenism. A representative for Avalanche Software, which developed the game, told IGN that "the team felt that it was very important to create a game that is representative of the rich and diverse world of Harry Potter as well as the groups of people who play games, which includes the LGBTQIA+ community."

"Hogwarts Legacy," which was first announced in September 2020, has been a focal point of discussions regarding Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling's transphobic remarks over the past several years.

Since 2018, the author has been criticized for sharing transphobic viewpoints on social media, which came to a head in mid-2020 after Rowling published an essay titled "J.K. Rowling Writes about Her Reasons for Speaking out on Sex and Gender Issues." In the essay, she said she was "worried about the new trans activism" and made claims about detransitioning that were both harmful and unsupported by data, Insider previously reported.

Rowling's comments have been condemned by transgender activists and Harry Potter stars alike. The backlash has also spread to new projects in the Harry Potter universe, like a potential HBO series and "Hogwarts Legacy."

Rowling herself was not involved in the creation of "Hogwarts Legacy," but according to the game's frequently asked questions page, "her extraordinary body of writing is the foundation of all projects in the Wizarding World."