Every major news organization from The New York Times to Time Magazine is going to press this week with the news that J.K. Rowling has declared Hogwarts’ headmaster and Wizard Dumbledore was gay!
Poor Jerry Falwell must be turning over in his grave, as his fellow arch conservatives and Bible beaters scramble to get the Harry Potter series of books banned from public libraries. Falwell had a fit over Teletubby’s Tinky Wink”; can you imagine if he’d lived to see this?
I anticipate (and expect) the hyperventilation from the religious right, but there’s also the far left to deal with in this situation. I expect they’ll be protesting that Rowling should’ve outed the Master while he was still alive, and within the pages of her books instead of as an afterthought. The absence of that important part of his life from the Potter series makes poor Albus appear to be ashamed of that integral part of his character.
I, on the other hand, think it was classier for her to do it at Carnegie Hall, and in the company of fans. After all, it’s the fans' reaction to the news that’s more important than the shallow screams from people who don’t even know, nor have even, read the books.
In Harry Potter’s world it was about as necessary to announce your favorite color, left or right handedness, preference of car or favorite book, as it was to announce your sexual preference… which is as it should be. Rowling hadn’t made the announcement to raise an issue; she was merely answering a fan’s question as to whether Dumbledore, a believer in the prevailing power of love, had ever fallen in love himself.
Her answer was both simple and eloquent: "I always thought of Dumbledore as gay." She then went on to explain that Dumbledore had once fallen in love with Gellert Grindelwald, and had suffered when his intended became a powerful dark wizard.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Jet,
If Rowling's series of books survive the coming tumultuous times, it will be necessary to publish a compendium of additional facts about the characters that were not included in the seven novels and her books about magical animals and quidditch.
Dumbeldore's preference for his own sex would have to be included in this compendium, along with what Harry Potter wound up doing for a living (being an auror) and other details that have emerged and will emerge from readings and lectures given by Ms. Rowling.
2 - Jet in Columbus
Indeed Ruvy, I'd expect it to be a best seller!
...Jet
3 - gonzo marx
heyas Jet...good to *see* ya!
for Ruvy...JK is currently working on a compendium of all that kind of stuff, a supplemental to the series
mebbe i should get around to reading these...eventually
for Jet...and anyone else who enjoys a maestro...
Excelsior?
4 - Jet in Columbus
Thanks for contributing Gonzo, it's good to be back (we'll see how long that lasts) ;-)
Jet
5 - Jet in Columbus
All you guitar lovers-follow the link in Gonzo's comment 3-I can't stop playing it!!! Thanks Gonzo!
6 - gonzo marx
glad ya liked it , Jet...
try this one out....
heh
Excelsior?
7 - Che
I am in complete agreement with you Jet. I think Rowling handled it just fine. There are always things writers know about their characters that aren't obvious in the books. When she was asked about his love-life, she told the fans what she knew. Dumbledore was a powerful wizard and a kind, protective, strong and ethical man (sure he had faults but he also learned from his mistakes). Good role model for gay and straight alike.
8 - Sonny D
I don't know what the big deal is. Any adult should have figured that out when the book told the history of Dumbledore and Grindelwald. If kids didn't get it, what difference did it make? It didn't have anything to do with the story. For the adult reader, it added a little depth to the character of Dumbledore. I can't believe so many people acting like it was a bit surprise.
9 - Jet in Columbus
Amen Che
10 - Sonny D
Oops, that should have read "big" surprise.
11 - Jet in Columbus
Indeed Sonny.
On a personal note, I was kind of torn as to tell people up front or not.
You get to know someone really well, you get to like each other as friends and the moment they "find out" they're gone like you were some kind of lepper or something.
Now I sort of strike a balance that seems to work.
Thanks for contributing and the encouragement.
Jet
12 - Jet in Columbus
No problem Sonny, I'd read it as "A bit of a surprise"...
13 - Jet in Columbus
Woah, just realized this is my 80th article published on BC!!!
14 - Sonny D
Jet: The "friends" that would disappear weren't really friends you would want to keep anyway, were they?
15 - Jet in Columbus
No indeed Sonny, no indeed. Unfortunately you can't tell who they are unless you bought a program in the lobby before entering the theater.
... but then how fun would that be?
16 - Edward Finley
Uh...hello? Dumbledore does not exist. He cannot therefore, be gay.
17 - Jet in Columbus
In the minds of millions of fans Ed, he does exist, therefore...
Jack McFarland on Will and Grace is a fictional character, does that mean he isn't gay either???
18 - Wee Nur
Harry Potter, itself, is, kinda, gay.
19 - Jet in Columbus
I'm sure he's glad you think so...
20 - Jet in Columbus
That was meant as a compliment, wasn't it Wee?
{:^P~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
21 - El Bicho
"If Rowling's series of books survive the coming tumultuous times,"
you must be joking. this series will be around as long as there are books
22 - Jet in Columbus
From your mouth to God's ear EB. I'm pretty sure it'll blow over rather quickly...
...was that a pun?
23 - gonzo marx
well, found this Article form Time magazine on the topic...
the author, a gay man, wants Rowling to put Dumbledore back into the closet...somehow disappointed that the venerable olde coot never outed himself
now, here i had Thought that Dumbledore had chosen celibacy for his own Reasons..possibly wizardly...but it was his choice...and as the Headmaster for a children's school, why should the topic of his sexuality ever be a topic at the school?
also, do note than JK has never said other adults didn't know he was gay...we only know that in the environment of the school, it was not a well known subject...
just a Thought and a link to share on the Topic...
Excelsior?
24 - RC
Someone once said that we'll know that homophobia isn't an issue when they start making movies with gay characters instead of about them... the fact that Rowling only brought this up to keep a level of clarity in the film and for her readers is a step towards acceptance.
25 - Jet in Columbus
That's true RC. We look forward to that day. It'd be comparable to when blacks stopped playing maids and limo drivers and became regular people in entertainment back in the 60's. Like when Kinch was the radio operator and second in command on Hogan's Heroes, instead of the "Black" radio operator, or Uhura was just the communications chief.
Gays would just play regular characters who just happened to be gay, but it was never really spoken or explained. Someone would just go home in the story line and kiss their lover hello, and go on like straight couples do, and their whole existince in the plot had nothing to do with if they were homosexual or not.
sigh...
You know, a true test of if your a homophobe would be to have someone point out a perfect stranger to you and say "He's Gay!" and you suddenly "see" all of the stereotypes in him of a "fag". Then you're told he wasn't and you feel dumb for letting your prejudices color your opinion without meeting them first.
Kind of like someone in Germany saying person they didn't like was a Jew, even if they weren't, and everyone seeing the stereotypes.
I'm starting to babble aren't I?
alas....