The discourse around Hogwarts Legacy has largely faded, but the discussion about J.K. Rowling and her damaging rhetoric regarding trans people is far from over.
For the most part, those who aren’t going to play the game have made their minds up, and those who are have lost interest in discussing the negatives of their decision. Most of the people who’ve already made a Hogwarts Legacy purchase aren’t going to change their minds anytime soon, but its not stopping trans advocates and their allies from keeping up the fight. They’re seeking to ensure that no one is left unaware of Rowling’s influence on trans identity and safety – even if their insistence starts to look like bullying to some.
Hogwarts Legacy boycotters have been accused of bullying already, after a streamer was caught getting emotional following pushback, but the latest claim of “bullying” seems to hold even less water. Pushback this time comes from VTuber Silvervale, who recently lashed out at trans advocates in a stream.
A clip of the stream is going viral online, showcasing Silvervale’s response to detractors when they pushed back against the streamer’s decision to play Hogwarts Legacy. In the clip, Silvervale lashes out at boycotters and protesters, even after noting that she does not “condone the ideals of this author,” and simply wants “to be a fucking wizard.”
As the clip goes on, Silvervale notes that she simply wants to return to her childhood via Hogwarts Legacy, and attempts to create separation between the game and its creator. This is something many Harry Potter fans are trying to do, as they grapple with Rowling’s impact on both the Wizarding World and trans people’s safety, but its Silvervale’s next words that got her into hot water with viewers.
“We’re gonna enjoy this fucking game,” Silvervale says, before proclaiming that “I will not be bullied by a bunch of Twitter freaks with nothing better to do with their goddamn lives.”
It was this classification, in particular, that led to backlash. It’s one thing to be frustrated by the complex situation surrounding Hogwarts Legacy — particularly as a fan of the Wizarding World — and entirely another to classify people with very real criticism as “Twitter freaks.” Those who push back against Hogwarts Legacy might not all do so in the best way — as people are rarely convinced by anger and accusation — but their points are nonetheless valid. Rowling’s words and actions, do real, actual harm to trans people – and acknowledging that fact doesn’t make someone a troll.
The viral Silvervale clip concludes with a note to “be nice to people,” and “if you want to make changes, go make actual changes instead of harassing streamers on the internet.” Silvervale even makes sure to note that “LGBT people are awesome — Twitter people are not awesome,” and ends the whole thing with a quick “fuck you.” In the comments for a tweet sharing the clip, however, several people noted that a slightly longer clip also includes Silvervale referring to detractors as “roaches.”
Twitter user @Arty_Nah, who shared the clip to their followers, accompanied the video with a note saying “I love how you can cause one of the biggest waves of anti-trans harassment, at no point acknowledge that or disavow how your fans acted, and instead call the trans and Jewish people that were upset at you ‘freaks,’ and getting called based for that.”
Commenters below the video largely seem to agree, with several decrying Silvervale putting the feelings of streamers above the safety of trans people. Once again, its worth noting that genuine harassment and bullying doesn’t win anyone new friends or allies, but it’s fair for trans people to be disappointed by those ignoring the damage Rowling has done to their community.
All that being said, it does seem that Silvervale made attempts to clarify who her comments were aimed at. In a pinned comment that accompanied her stream, the creator wrote that “hateful people on Twitter are not representative of the majority of the LGBT community,” and urged her followers to “treat everyone with kindness and understanding.”
Despite Silvervale’s attempts to smooth things over, quite a few people see the clip as an official surrender of the streamer’s “ally” status. They say as much in the comments below the clip’s original share from @ClippedTwitch, where numerous people noted the harassment trans creators face daily — particularly in the wake of fresh Rowling releases. One even jokingly noted that “streamers are truly the most oppressed minority,” and poked fun at how streamers have reacted to facing a modicum of the harassment many LGBTQ+ people face every day, simply for being who they are.
The pushback isn’t likely to affect Silvervale much, thanks to her status as a virtual creator — with few real-world consequences for her on-stream actions — and her high follower count on Twitch. Her 420,000 followers likely aren’t going anywhere, despite pushback, and Silvervale’s streams are still getting plenty of views.
We Got This Covered reached out to Silvervale for comment, but got no response by publication time.