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US Quidditch and Major League Quidditch plan to change the sport’s name to separate from Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s transphobic beliefs.
The US Quidditch and Major League Quidditch leagues announced plans to come up with a new name for the sport adapted from the Harry Potter franchise, both to grow the sport and to dissociate themselves from series author J.K. Rowling and her transphobic views.
In a media release, US Quidditch and MLQ stated, “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.”
Quidditch is featured heavily in Rowling’s Harry Potter series of novels and was adapted into a real-world sport in 2005 by Middlebury College students Xander Manshel and Alex Benepe. “I’m thrilled that USQ and MLQ are moving in this direction. Big changes like this don’t come without risk, but I’ve been a strong advocate for making this move for a long time. The sport needs its own space without limits on its growth potential and changing the name is crucial to achieving that,” Benepe said.
The word “quidditch” is copyrighted and trademarked by Warner Bros., which is another incentive for the change, said Mary Kimball, USQ’s executive director, as the copyright has hindered the league’s ability to expand.
“I believe quidditch is at a turning point. We can continue the status quo and stay relatively small, or we can make big moves and really propel this sport forward into its next phase,” Kimball said. “Renaming the sport opens up so many more revenue opportunities for both organizations, which is crucial to expansion. Through joint ownership of this new trademark, USQ and MLQ will be able to pursue sponsorships, broadcasting on major TV networks and other projects that’ll address some of the biggest barriers to playing the sport, like access to equipment.”
USQ and MLQ have been researching alternative names over the past several months and will narrow down the choices with surveys through Jan. 31, 2022. MLQ Commissioner Amanda Dallas said the two leagues are coordinating “to make the name change as seamless as possible,” although MLQ is only upgrading its website and refreshing its styles, while USQ is going for a total overhaul of its branding. Whatever name is chosen will still allow the leagues to use the same initials.
After Rowling published an essay on her website in June 2020 defending her position against transgender rights, she has continued to be vocal in her support for trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs). Warner Bros. Games moved to dissociate itself from the author and the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization criticized her, prompting Rowling to return its Ripple of Hope Award. She also has been criticized by actors Eddie Redmayne, Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter and Harry Potter co-stars Rupert Grint and Miriam Margolyes, among others.
Source: US Quidditch
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