Dumbledore likes dumble-dudes
Posted by BrianAs if religious fanatics needed another reason to hate the Harry Potter books…
The head master of the little wizard school in the series is gay.
Harry Potter fans, the rumors are true: Albus Dumbledore, master wizard and Headmaster of Hogwarts, is gay. J.K. Rowling, author of the mega-selling fantasy series that ended last summer, outed the beloved character Friday night while appearing before a full house at Carnegie Hall.
After reading briefly from the final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” she took questions from audience members.
She was asked by one young fan whether Dumbledore finds “true love.”
“Dumbledore is gay,” the author responded to gasps and applause.
I don’t buy into the anti-Potter stuff just because I read my fair share of fantasy style books involving supernatural characters when I was a kid. I consider myself a fairly well adjusted member of society - well, as well adjusted as an engineer can be. It’s called fiction. No big deal.
I’ve actually read one of the Potter books, the first one, as a deal I stuck with my wife to get her to read the FairTax book. I can see why kids like it, but it didn’t do it for me.
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October 21st, 2007 at 9:15 am
I’ve read all of the Potter books (except the most recent).
I never had a clue that Dumbledore was gay (I don’t have gay-dar, which also basically means that I don’t judge people because they’re gay).
What I object to is the post hoc revelation of sexuality - Rowling indicates that she got the idea from alt-fan stories. It seems that declaring that the character is gay is a stunt to generate press and controversy: bonus for agitating social conservatives.
October 21st, 2007 at 9:59 am
Good point about the post hoc revelation. I had the same thought, but couldn’t think of a way to concisely convey it.
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:07 pm
Funny, that’s what my seventeen-year-old son said–”Oh, she just wanted more attention.”
I did read a transcript of a chat session with her somewhere on the net, and was taken with how refreshingly natural and honest she seemed. None of that coy crap about pretending the characters are real and that as author she is merely transcribing “what they tell me,” either. So I’m willing to give her a by on this being nothing but a deliberate press event. Maybe she really did just realize that Dumbledore is gay.
“…as well adjusted as an engineer can be.” Hee hee hee.