Duolingo, the language-learning app, apologized for an exercise in the app calling anti-trans author J.K. Rowling mean. At issue is one of the sentences generated by the app in a German lesson: Do you like books with Harry Potter as a character? Users are supposed to pick a response that works from the choices presented, and the correct choice translated to English was: Yes, but in my opinion, the author is mean. Related Duolingo removes LGBTQ+ content for Russian users BBC producer Gaby Koppel, who has a history of anti-trans statements and who regularly shares anti-trans messages on X, shared a screenshot of the exercise on social media and admonished Duolingo. Shame on you @duolingo: learning German and I came across the sentence Yes I like Harry Potter but the author is mean. How woke do you have to be to let #trans ideology infect a language lesson? she wrote, even though its not clear if a human wrote that exercise or whether it was intended as a reference to Rowlings hatred of trans people. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today And here it is: pic.twitter.com/XCPF2qLMxv Gaby Koppel (@Gabykoppel) August 19, 2025We apologise for any offence caused and will remove this content from the app, Duolingo responded on X. Duolingo uses AI to generate exercises, which explains why it often uses silly but grammatically correct sentences to teach languages. The company hasnt said whether the question that offended Koppels sensibilities was generated by AI. Rowling has used her vast wealth, mostly accumulated through the success of herHarry Potterfranchise and its many multimedia spinoffs, to personally fund legal cases aimed at diminishing rights and protections for transgender women in the U.K. and Ireland. She regularly depicts trans people as a threat to girls and womens safety.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.