JKR: "Dumbledore is gay"

[Mr_Bandman]

Well, if nothing else, at least we have something new to talk about, so here goes.....

To me it does not add to or detract from the character in any way....it does however make me ask the question "Why?".......She made some vague point about it giving the Religious Right another reason to hate the books (some fundamentalist Christian groups have denounced the series for "promoting witchcraft")......it would appear that She derives a bit of pleasure out of prodding those who would presume to criticize....I don't know......seems a little sophomoric to me....

Really, I hadn't spent any time thinking about the sexuality of any of the adult characters----I didn't see it as in any way relevant to the story. Now that I think about it, the only Hogwarts teachers who we know anything about in that area are Snape and Hagrid. This revelation, to me, will eventually lead to a soiling of the whole thing. Not AT ALL because of any anti-gay sentiment, but rather that it causes speculation that is not appropriate for the genre. What are the sexual predilections of McGonnigal, Flitwick, Sprout, Slughorn, Pomphrey, Hooch, Filch, Lockhart, not to mention those outside Hogwarts---Fudge, Shaklebolt, Black, even Voldemort. It seems everyone who teaches at Hogwarts in a single adult----are they all simply unlucky in love, or is Hogwarts a haven for homosexuals?

I am a teacher, and though I don't spend a single second wondering about the respective orientations of my colleagues, I do know that many of them are married or involved with someone, and a majority have lives outside the school. That does not seem to be the case with the Hogwarts faculty and staff.

So now its out there, and I think it causes more harm than good. It opens a door that not only was not open but many, I think, didn't even realize was there----it will inevitably become an open question about every character in the books. I just don't see that as necessary at all. What's next---do we question and whisper about the sexuality of Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf, of Aslan, Willy Wonka, and the Cowardly Lion? What about Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox, the Cat in the Hat, Dr. Doolittle, Barney the Dinosaur, and all 7 Dwarves? How about Bugs Bunny? Where does it end?

I don't see the point in this at all. The Reverend Jerry Falwell once ignited a huge firestorm of controversy over the sexuality of Tinky Winky the Teletubby. Not one single person who heard about that was without an opinion---they were either outraged, exultant, or they simply rolled their eyes in disgust and disappointment at what seemed to be a ridiculous and entirely unnecessary speculative argument over an otherwise entirely innocuous fictional children's character that could not possibly exist. What on earth was the point of all that? Must our children's fictional and literary characters have perfectly well-defined sexual orientations, or is it okay that Mr. Rogers and Captain Kangaroo lived alone? Can Bert and Ernie continue to share a flat without any eyebrow raising?

I am disappointed----NOT BECAUSE DUMBLEDORE IS GAY----I really don’t care at all about that----I am disappointed that he is anything at all in that area. She has tried to make her characters as real as possible, but face it---they’re wizards, for crying out loud. They are all pretend. There’s nothing real about them. Why must this discussion take place?

 

[Sirius Potter Fan]

I just read the AP article and ran here to see what was up . . . I am quite shocked . . . but like you MB, not becuse of what he "is" but that she even felt it necessary to give him an orientation at all. I think this was totaly uncalled for, and . . . in front of an audience of CHILDREN? . . . Many of which will not even understand what it is to be gay?

Somewhere in the bowels of this site is a thread I started, speculating on the obvious absence of spouses for the Hogwarts staff, and funny thing . . . of all my theories on why they weren't mentioned, homosexuality never even entered my mind. We have taken the characters for who they are as written, and the story was marvelous. Why was this necessary to add in post script? It does not change the smallest part of the plot and character of the story. This sheds light if you will on perhaps why DD did not see Grindewald's evil intentions earlier on, but could still have been left out. And . . . If this was there in her mind from the start, why not include it in the book itself? There has to be something else.

Could it be that Rowling has noticed as all who continue to visit this site have, that the roaring hot flames that built up with the coming of DH have now dimmed. the fire is now burning low, and likely would not have rekindled untill the premere of HBP in theaters. In creating and furthering existing controversy, was she hoping to bring back the dimming spotlight? It is true, that if you want to make millions on a bad movie, make it controversial, then many who never have watched it, will go, just to see what all the fuss is about. Is Rowling looking for this attention? She doesn't need it! I expect that this site as well as countless others will briefly fire up again, but I give it no more than 2 weeks till things sink back to the new normal (sadly).

Rowling made the statement in asnwer to a young girls question, "Who was the love of DD's life?" Of all the difficult questions that Rowling has been asked and managed expertly to skirt around answers, or distract taking attention away from the subject, why not now? Even a telling, but subtle answer such as, "Dumbledore never fell in love with a woman." would have answered the question honestly without sending countless children home asking "What is gay?"

I am sad that Rowling has done this. I have a very good friend that is gay and that has not changed our relationship. I do believe as Rowling has promoted in her books, in tolerence. However I think adding this after the fact to a primarily children's series is a mistake that will tarnish a sure classic.

And of course, we will all now have to re-read the entire series to see what "clues" to this new truth we may have missed!

 

[Mr_Bandman]

Now I am angry ----my wife opened the newspaper this morning and saw a headline containing the names "Rowling" and "Dumblebore". Without reading it she handed it straight to my 8 year old daughter. Luckily I got it in time. I have no problem with my parental responsibility of educating my children on sex and sexuality, but I will do it on my terms and in my time! JKR has apparently decided that it is time for me to have that conversation with my oldest daughter. I disagree.

What unbelievable arrogance! I am no homophobe. I hold no prejudices, and it is my wife's and my intent to raise our children to view people with an open mind and an open heart, but I will not have the timetable for my children's upbringing set by a person I've never met.

I started something on this site that a few others picked up on along the way---out of my awestruck reverence for J. K. Rowling's immense talents I began capitalizing the first letter of every pronoun used to refer to "Her". I won't do that anymore. She has breeched a trust with every parent who allowed their children into her world, and that is unthinkable. I will never view her or her work the same again. The reverence is gone, as is the respect.

 

[Rubeus]

Lets relax!!! This is not the end of the world, But perhaps her final ending to get people to drop interest....hmmmm....or maybe gain interest of more readers?????
She knows WE all loved DD but if she had low readership of the gay community wouldn't this greatly inspire people of that nature to pick the book up??? I believe this may be of great value to her on a financial level....

 

[Vold. E. Mort]

I think it's a disgusting publicity stunt and an insult to the story we all love. I don't care if DD is gay, muslim, jewish or a smurf because none of that ever meant anything to the story that was told. Adding it now simply shows her desire to be edgey and fit in with the today's popular trends. JKR, you disappoint me.

 

[Seeker615]

I saw this on another site today and was very surprised by this.
I really don’t understand why she would bring this up now after her last book is published. It really doesn’t have anything to do with the story nor does a lot of the questions and answers she gave during this event. I think if she dealt with Dumbledore being gay in her books than it would have possibly made a bit of sense, but this makes no sense to me...

I tend to agree that maybe she wants to keep her name and books out there and she did mention fan-fiction...

 

[Sirius Potter Fan]

I personaly have some concerns for JKR. She has come through quite a bit in the last 10 years. She has gone from nobody to a household name. She has gone from living off charity to being one of the wealthiest women in the entire world. That is something that may sound wonderful, a dream come true, but it can also be a big shock, with as many burdons and problems as benifits (if not more). I have seen some photos of her on line, dressed in red and black, tons of makeup, and to be honest she looked drunk. Nothing like the simple cocertive down to earth person we have come to recognize over the years. The JKR we know . . . the one who could so cleverly answer probing questions so as to keep us thinking, but not give us anything concrete, would not just blurt out something like DD being gay. I think she has some difficult emotional struggles right now, and should be in our prayers, not the focus of our anger.

 

[iastud20]

I am not quite sure what all the negative feelings are all about. i think she "blurted" it out to make a point, that even the most beloved people can be homosexual and that being gay does not diminish your abilities or make you any less of a person. she made it a point to help make the upcoming HBP movie as accurate as she could... and seeing as how she created that world i think that she has ever right to do what she pleases with it. many people think that it was wrong for her to say something in front of an audience of "children" but they are going to have to learn about it sooner or later. and why not start teaching tolerance at a young age, rather that wait and let them learn hatred instead. sirius potter fan said that jkr "looked drunk", just to try and explain why she didnt dodge a question for once. you make it sound like she should have hidden this forever. and its people like you that make this world so intolerant. maybe she feels that being gay isnt something to hide. this is exactly the point she tried to make with the pure-blood mania. what does it matter whether they are gay or straight? pure-blood or half-blood? you guys are no better than the DE's. and im not quite sure why it is such an issue. the kids to know so more curse words that some adults, and yet it's such a taboo issue to teach them what "gay" is. how long are you going to wait to teach your children about the birds and the bee's? when they are 14 and knocked up? given it is a parents right to teach their children what they want, but by denying them information that will make them a better person in the long run is just stupid. and if its that big of a problem then maybe you should be spending more time teaching youre kids what you want them to learn than sitting on a computer complaining about a fictional character.

 

[Mr_Bandman]

iastud20: You apparently did not read what I wrote....you came here expecting homophobia, and though no such sentiment has been expressed, you found it anyway. As I said, I don't care that DD is gay. Not one bit. I just don't see the point in a children's literary character having a well-defined sexuality, or even a vaguely defined one.

You are obviously not a parent. It opens up an whole new can of worms. As I said (which you didn't read) I would like to set the method and timetable for my daughters' upbringing, and I, along with my wife, will decide when to teach them about sex and sexuality. I object to a "responsible" adult (and one who may be trusted and respected more than anyone else in the entire world at the moment, I might add) "blurts" something out that forces me and my wife to scramble for explanations. I am making no revelation in stating that J. K. Rowling is a very bright person and, as far as we know, a loving and conscientious parent in her own right, which is one of the things that makes this so puzzling.

If I can help it, my children will have no prejudice in their minds or hearts. That is not what this is about. It is about 2 things: The parental perspective that J. K. Rowling made a very serious error in judgment, and the literary perspective that J. K Rowling is adding unnecessary postscript to a series of novels that was perfectly complete without embellishment.

 

[Sirius Potter Fan]

very well put MB. If iastud had read my post as well he would have read that I have several gay friends a few since highschool, I have no problems with that. My children however do not know of their "orientation" nor at their age do they need to know. When I feel they are ready I will explain things in a sensitive, open and factual way. I can't help but wonder . . . Rowlings daughter is around the same age as my oldest daughter, both have read the entire series . . . Has JKR explained homosexuality to her children? I just objest as does MB that JKR has taken it into her hands to bring something into my childs life that should be my decision on when to inform her.

 

[Fortescue]

I am disappointed----NOT BECAUSE DUMBLEDORE IS GAY----I really don’t care at all about that----I am disappointed that he is anything at all in that area. She has tried to make her characters as real as possible, but face it---they’re wizards, for crying out loud. They are all pretend. There’s nothing real about them. Why must this discussion take place?

I took her comment with a laugh. My first thought was that the hype died down so quickly that she wanted to stir the pot a little and see what might pop up. Since she never hinted in the slightest about Dumbledore being gay, I can only guess I'm right! I think that all the blogs died a month after the release of the last book. She had enough parents walking a tight rope because some nut-case said it was all evil, now she will have all the puritans pishing and shushing because how dare a hero in a children's book be gay?

Just a little "here I am" for attention to take everyone's mind off the fact she showed her boob last week on camera.

 

[Arwan]

This site is certainly not a gay bashing site. The real issue is her timing and why she felt the need to now say that DD is gay. JKR has been asked on other occassions whether DD and Minerva had a relationship and she simply said no, so if it was so important that the world know that DD is gay why did she not address it then and why does it matter, as it has been said many times it this thread it has nothing to do with the story.

 

[iastud20]

the thing that i dont understand the most is that many people do not understand why she proclaimed that he's gay. and that she announced his sexuality. many people have said that its inappropriate for her to have assigned him a sexuality, when in reality, he has always had one. every person in reality and fiction does. people just assume that they are straight. for anyone who hasnt read the news articles about it, in the next movie they were going to show a scene were dumbledore reflects and talked about a female love interest, and jkr told them he was gay. i think she had every right to make that correction because he is her character. in my last post i did not mean to imply that anything that was previously said was homophobic, just a little close-minded. everyone assumes that everyone is straight until proven otherwise. and mr bandman was right i dont have kids, i do understand that they change everything. but i do know that my children will know the difference from a very young age. but i did not mean any offense to anyone.

 

[Mr_Bandman]

but i do know that my children will know the difference from a very young age.

That is, of course, your choice as a parent....I don't know anything about you, so I won't pretend to know your values or motivations, but I could definitely imagine myself saying exactly the same thing in my early 20s.....as it is, I have 2 daughters (8 and 5, respectively) and neither of them know that there is a reproductive process at all....we (my wife and I) have a timetable of when and what we believe is appropriate....as far as romantic feelings, they both have "crushes" and giggle over Zach Ephron and Corbin Bleu, but that is the extent......no scientific info yet.....it will stay that way for the time being.......that is my major point----it is my choice as a parent, and it is totally irresponsible for someone else to unveil such things to my children.....Jo Rowling is a very, very high profile person----she obviously knows the power of her words, and that is the source of my consternation over the whole thing.

 

[Morfin Gaunt]

in society today, we are meant to view gay the same as straight,

whats the problem?

hopefully a seris so popular will help open the younger generations eyes to homosexuality and save a few bullying remarks, so the homosexuals of the future will face a great deal less than our older generation.

 

[Mr_Bandman]

in society today, we are meant to view gay the same as straight,

whats the problem?

hopefully a seris so popular will help open the younger generations eyes to homosexuality and save a few bullying remarks, so the homosexuals of the future will face a great deal less than our older generation.

Huh? Are you reading the same posts I am? Where's the homophobia? I don't see it, and I certainly haven't posted any bigoted opinions! The issue IS NOT gay vs. straight! That is a very simple-minded take on this. The issue---at least my issue----is that discussing sexuality of any flavor with young children is only appropriate if the parents of those children decide it is. Ms. Rowling decided that I don't have an iron in this particular fire and decided to open one subject under that heading for my child, along with hundreds of thousand of others, without my permission. I promise you----and you will have to believe me, because we don't know each other at all----that I would be just as upset if she had referred to an illicit affair between DD and Petunia Dursley. Sexuality at that level is just not appropriate for my children, though I had deemed the HP series as so for them.

I am a liberal. Extremely so. I don't spout prejudice and intolerance. Please don't pop in here and leave some ridiculously irrelevant pseudo-liberal pomposity as if looking down from your ivory tower on the rest of us rednecks! Read the opinions expressed here, then comment----don't make assumptions that everyone must be spewing hateful remarks. That, my friend, is the problem!

 

[Morfin Gaunt]

Excuse me!!!!!

And i'll thank you, to, also read others posts more carefully.

NO where im my comment did i mention you! or any other comments on this site, i mentioned my view on the topic, of seeing it as a way forward for gay society.

In my 'Whats the problem comment' where i can see this could be mis-read. Is why the revelalation is such a shock horror.

SO yes Mr Bandman, you raise your kids as you see just. As will every one. I did not say in my comment you are a bad parent...

The word gay is under no watershed as far as i am aware.

If you are angry with JK do not jump down my posts in such a dissmisive manner of my views.

Neither can i add, did i call any one on here homophobic, i simply stated that a series so popular may result in greater understanding to this generation

 

[serophis]

I have to say this is the first time JKR has disappointed me. Why? Not because of my religious beliefs (although I am a Christian republican, I don't feel that homosexuality makes someone a bad/evil person, and some of my best friends are gay. Others might be gay, but as I am a married man, I don't see the point in even knowing the sexuality of most of my friends, as I see them as neither potential mates, nor competition in finding said mate).

My problem is that JKR has forced Dumbledore to be something none of us really expected. It's not the gay thing; it's that in a world where she's left so many things open so that we can make them our own (so we can each feel like Harry, Hermione and Ron in a way), she has locked one character into a certain point when it was unneccessary. We don't know the sexuality of Lee Jordan, for example, and I don't therefore feel left out. Fred and George flirted with girls at the wedding so we can assume, but even that was for comic relief, not to force our perceptions of a certain person.

It would have been just as strange for JKR to mention some kind of strange quirk that Dumbledore had that would cause many people to no longer fully identify with him. For example, saying that he only wore dark underwear to avoid skidmarks...or that he never sat with a window to his back because he was afraid of snipers (sorry, I have friends like this so these are the first that come to mind). Although some would just shrug at these things, it does seem unnecessary to add something like this after the fact that causes such a disconnect with many readers in the story.

 

[Sirius Potter Fan]

Today I was in a waiting room at a doctor's office . . . a children's doctor . . . my son picked up a copy of a magazine on a side table, there was a photo of DD and the caption, "yes he is gay" and laughed about it. This is the sort of thing that I am upset about. My son (13) is aware of sexuality, and has been taught by us as he was mature enough to understand the different aspects of it. Thankfully, my daughters ages 7 and 10 were not with us at the time. Both are big HP fans, and although my 10 year old has some "sex ed" my 7 year old is too young to be introduced to this concept, but had she been there and been atracted to the photo on the cover of the magazine, she would have had questions. This is what is making us angry. I could care less if DD, snape, and Flitwick were having gay orgies in Hagrid's cabin . . . it is not relevant to the story line. Children as well as adults could undersatnd DD being blinded to his "friends" true motives without DD having to be sexualy involved. Many of us have had friends (of either gender) who we thought was someone different than they really were at first, and didn't want to see the truth and loose a good friend. THIS WAS JUST TOTALY UNNECESSARY! That is the point! It was very irresponsible of JKR to pull such a stunt.

 

[Mr_Bandman]

Second that, Tulsa! My concerns are entirely parental. The more I think about it, the more completely bewildered I am that she could be so irresponsible!

It isn't going to go away, either. At some point both you and I WILL have to explain this to our daughters---mine are 5 and 8---and it's going to happen exactly how it happened with your son----sitting in the waiting room for a dentist or doctor, DD's picture on a magazine will catch their eye, and we'll be having a nice little conversation......one that was forced on us earlier than we wanted to have it, than was our parental prerogative to have it.

I am really tired of people asking "what's the big deal?" It is a huge deal.