Dumbledore Has a Rainbow Sticker on his Broom...

[knapplc]

...'cause he's GAY!

Rowling just "outed" him in a news conference. I just so happen to be rereading Deathly Hallows right now, and that explanation (underlined below) really helps figure out why he was so easily influenced by Grindelwald, and why he waited so long to confront him, AND maybe why the "battle" between the two wasn't so difficult after all.

Maybe there aren't so many Harry Potter fans out there, but I found this totally interesting.

Dumbledore is gay, 'Harry Potter' author reveals


NEW YORK (AP) -- 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.

She then explained that Dumbledore was smitten with rival Gellert Grindelwald, whom he defeated long ago in a battle between good and bad wizards. "Falling in love can blind us to an extent," Rowling said of Dumbledore's feelings, adding that Dumbledore was "horribly, terribly let down."

Dumbledore's love, she observed, was his "great tragedy."

"Oh, my god," Rowling concluded with a laugh, "the fan fiction."

Potter readers on fan sites and elsewhere on the Internet have speculated on the sexuality of Dumbledore, noting that he has no close relationship with women and a mysterious, troubled past. And explicit scenes with Dumbledore already have appeared in fan fiction.

Rowling told the audience that while working on the planned sixth Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," she spotted a reference in the script to a girl who once was of interest to Dumbledore. A note was duly passed to director David Yates, revealing the truth about her character.

Rowling, finishing a brief "Open Book Tour" of the United States, her first tour here since 2000, also said that she regarded her Potter books as a "prolonged argument for tolerance" and urged her fans to "question authority."

Not everyone likes her work, Rowling said, likely referring to Christian groups that have alleged the books promote witchcraft. Her news about Dumbledore, she said, will give them one more reason.

[josebach]

I actually suspected that while I was reading about his relationship with that rival wizard but it was really only a passing thought. Looking back it does make sense and makes me believe she planned it all along and didn't just now invent that character trait as an after thought.

It's kind of funny that Ian McClellan the actor that played Gandalf was also gay. I'm wondering if that's where she got the idea?

[treat24]

I was in the same suit. It had been a passing thought, actually for more than a couple characters. It's not surprising, but it is pretty interesting. Makes me wanna read them all again for 48 billionth time... haha.

[knapplc]

I actually suspected that while I was reading about his relationship with that rival wizard but it was really only a passing thought. Looking back it does make sense and makes me believe she planned it all along and didn't just now invent that character trait as an after thought.

It's kind of funny that Ian McClellan the actor that played Gandalf was also gay. I'm wondering if that's where she got the idea?

I never thought he was gay at all. But now that she says that, especially the part about Grindelwald, it makes perfect sense. And I would bet that it was a character trait all along, too.

And the Ian McKellen connection is possible, I suppose. Authors get inspiration from all over.

This kind of stuff just makes me want her next Potter book to come out sooner rather than later. From what I gather the Harry Potter Encyclopedia thingy that she's going to produce is going to have a lot more stuff like this about all the characters.

This series is never going to be mistaken for "great fiction," but it's so comfortable, so cool, so accessible, that reading it is the literary equivalent of putting on your favorite lounging clothes and spending an hour in your most comfortable chair. It's funny that I've read books 1-6 twice now and I'm 2/3 of the way through my reread of Deathly Hallows, and I'm still somewhat sad that I'm about done with it again.

I sincerely hope that she doesn't rest on her laurels and that she writes another series. If it's even half as good as the Potter books it'll be well worth the read.

[Sixxgunn]

How lame. If you aren't going to put it in the book, then leave it be. Let people speculate, whatever. But if you aren't actually going to make it important to the story, and leave out everything about the backstory, don't explain it away in a book tour.

[moonhead]

harry potter is gay.

[Metroid]

harry potter is gay.

you beat me to it.

[Sixxgunn]

harry potter is gay.

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

[joelamosobadiah]

How lame. If you aren't going to put it in the book, then leave it be. Let people speculate, whatever. But if you aren't actually going to make it important to the story, and leave out everything about the backstory, don't explain it away in a book tour.

Why not? Increase talk about your book, increase revenue from your book. If you put everything in the book, then you get the initial hype and its over with. If you keep on mixing things up, then you keep it fresh and new. Sounds like a good move to me.

[moonhead]

How lame. If you aren't going to put it in the book, then leave it be. Let people speculate, whatever. But if you aren't actually going to make it important to the story, and leave out everything about the backstory, don't explain it away in a book tour.

Why not? Increase talk about your book, increase revenue from your book. If you put everything in the book, then you get the initial hype and its over with. If you keep on mixing things up, then you keep it fresh and new. Sounds like a good move to me.

good literature should stand on its own. it shouldn't need gimmicks and ploys. it should spark debate without the author dropping crap like this.