JK Rowling: Harry Potter-inspired Quidditch leagues change sport name to ‘distance’ themselves from author

JK Rowling: Harry Potter-inspired Quidditch leagues change sport name to ‘distance’ themselves from author
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Carl Bennett

By Carl Bennett


Published: 19/12/2021

- 16:18

It comes following the author’s comments about the transgender community

Two Quidditch leagues in the US have announced they are to change the name of sport, made famous in the fictional Harry Potter books, in order to ‘distance’ themselves from author JK Rowling.

In a joint statement, U.S. Quidditch (USQ) and Major League Quidditch (MLQ) said they will be changing the name of the ‘real-life’ version of the sport following the author’s comments on the transgender community.


The statement says: '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.

'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.”

Rowling, 56, has faced a severe backlash since first speaking out about the trans community in a tweet in June 2020, to the point where she has been left out of a 20th anniversary special celebrating the first Harry Potter movie.

The change also comes due to the fact the sport is trademarked by Warner Brothers Studios, which produces the successful Potter franchise.

The fantasy sport was first adapted for real-life performance in 2005 in Vermont.

The process to rebrand the sport includes a survey to confirm the new name, which is expected to take place until the end of January, though both leagues will continue to use the original acronyms including the ‘Q’.

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