In another twist in the unfolding controversy regarding the release of the new Hogwarts Legacy and author/creator J.K. Rowling’s well-documented transphobia, trans streamer Keffals, who in the past has “ratioed” Rowling over her views, has tweeted her belief that playing the game does not make one transphobic. In the same tweet, they also condemn the clashes that have arisen on social media following the game’s release as “culture war bulls**t.”
“Keffals” is the online alias of transgender activist and Twitch streamer Clara Sorrenti, who rose to notoriety following her efforts to take down the alt-right hate site known as KiwiFarms. The site was used to harass online figures and communities through facilitating organized group trolling, stalking, as well as doxxing, and offline harassment.
She also experienced another wave of fame when she tweeted that she “wanted to be the first trans person to ratio J.K. Rowling” in response to a so-called “gender critical” video Rowling had posted about trans youths. Ratio-ing someone happens when a reply to a tweet receives more likes than the original post. Keffals’ reply garnered more than 31 thousand likes, as opposed to Rowling’s 13 thousand.
However, Keffals has recently caused a deal of controversy herself based on online statements that many have found questionable if not outright offensive. Only one week ago Keffals encouraged her online followers to harass and infiltrate the accounts of the so-called “tenderqueer” Twitter community in order to spread misinformation and mistrust of Picrew, a paper doll-style avatar maker website.
They also explicitly requested that those doing so pretend to be Black in order to appear more diverse. This was during Black History Month, which she claimed not to know was happening due to living in Canada (though February is Black History Month in Canada as well as the U.S.). She has also been called out for repeatedly using an ableist slur while debating with a disabled user while streaming and later admitting she was purposely using the word as an attack.
While nothing Keffals has posted or said has indicated that she is joining the ranks of TERFdom or even becoming a J.K. Rowling apologist, her recent behavior and the rather flippant use of the term “culture war bulls**t” may indicate at the least a shift in viewpoint since her “ratio” tweet. In any case, while it may not be transphobic to play a Harry Potter video game or other branded merchandise, it undoubtedly puts money in the pocket of Rowling who has been nothing short of unequivocal in her transphobia.
Disclosure: We Got This Covered Assigning Editor Allie Capps recently appeared on a stream with Keffals discussing and criticizing her controversial behavior.