Dumbledore Revelation

[DreamCastle]

So, JK revealed that Dumbledore was, in fact, gay! I'm sure that we all (most of us) had at least slight suspicions...but now it is confirmed. My mom doesn't believe it, and says that she is telling that on him now b/c he's dead (I THINK THIS IS HILARIOUS BTW)!!! I said "Well, she DID create him, I think she'd know".
Thoughts?
I don't care that he's gay, obviously. I think it makes him a more interesting character. The only bad thing is that now those ppl that thought it was so bad and didn't want their kids reading it b/c of misguided notions and concepts are REALLY gonna have a field day w/ it. At least there's nothing explicit about it in the actual books.

[TheSilverDoe]

I had never really thought about Dumbledore being gay before, but now that she's said it the whole thing does seem quite fitting. I just think it suits his character very well, and it makes the whole thing with Grindelwald a lot more interesting. Rowling is right, people can be very blinded by love, which is obviously what happened in this case. So it just adds another dimension to the whole story.

[Maraluce]

I had never really thought about Dumbledore being gay before, but now that she's said it the whole thing does seem quite fitting. I just think it suits his character very well, and it makes the whole thing with Grindelwald a lot more interesting. Rowling is right, people can be very blinded by love, which is obviously what happened in this case. So it just adds another dimension to the whole story.

I completely agree. I'm re-reading DH and got to all the Dumbledore stuff yesterday. I read it totally different than the first time. And kept smiling xD
Anyway, I think it's awesome :cool:

[Moaning_Myrtle]

I definitely think it adds a whole new level to Dumbledore's character. However, when I read the news on Mugglenet, I was completely blind-sided. I never even had the slightest inkling that he was gay. Honestly, I thought he always had a thing for Madame Pomfrey or McGonnagol...which is really quite silly now that I think about it. Now that I think about the whole thing with Grindewald, I can see that, if read now with the knowledge of Dumbledore's sexuality, it really was more than just a good friendship...or, at least, that's how it was on Dumbledore's side.

Although, some people are heralding Jo as brave and courageous for having a homosexual character...I don't think that was what she intended. I don't think she went into writing Dumbledore's character thinking, "I'm going to be such a hero for allowing such a controvercial character in my novel." But, just like the HP books have inspired people over the years, it may help confused adolescents to be more comfortable with their sexuality. On the flip side. though, religious sects who have protested Potter are really going to have a field day with this.

It is noteworthy, though, to point out that it's really only the media that's hounding this issue. Jo had a recent interview with the media, and their questions revolved soley on Dumbledore's sexuality...when she went to an event later with fans, the subject never even came up.

...Wow, this is much longer than I thought it was going to end up. That's what happens...get me talking HP and I just keep going...

[DreamCastle]

So what do ya'll think about Professer Sprout and McGonnagol??? They both seem a little...u know. And in DH when they gave each other a "knowing look". I'm not just saying this b/c of the Dumbledore thing, either. I always kind of thought it about those two. Anyone else?

[Maraluce]

So what do ya'll think about Professer Sprout and McGonnagol??? They both seem a little...u know. And in DH when they gave each other a "knowing look". I'm not just saying this b/c of the Dumbledore thing, either. I always kind of thought it about those two. Anyone else?

Hahaha xD
I can honestly say that's never crossed my mind before. But now that you mention it... It's not impossible.

[Muirgen]

When reading Deathly Hallows, I was totally thinking to myself that there was going to be a whole lot of Dumbledore/Grindelwald fanfics popping up. However I thought it was because I mostly read slash fanfiction anyway, and can see slasy things in the most innocent of moments. I certainly wasn't expecting JKR to say that Dumbledore was gay and that he was in love with Grindelwald. Overall I can't say that it's changed my perception of Dumbledore much. Although it does add depth to the Dumbledore/Grindelwald storyline.

[Yolanda]

So what! Dumbledore is gay, big deal. It is about the story and not about what is politically correct. Today I heard that Huckleberry Finn is being banned by a school district. If we do not focus on the literature itself and spend our "wheels" on what is politically correct we will be doing ourselves a terrible injustice. Remember, it was not that long ago when there was an outcry to ban Harry Potter out of school libraries. Harry Potter is a wonderful story and it should remain as such, in my humble opinion. What do you think?

[TheSilverDoe]

So what! Dumbledore is gay, big deal. It is about the story and not about what is politically correct. Today I heard that Huckleberry Finn is being banned by a school district. If we do not focus on the literature itself and spend our "wheels" on what is politically correct we will be doing ourselves a terrible injustice. Remember, it was not that long ago when there was an outcry to ban Harry Potter out of school libraries. Harry Potter is a wonderful story and it should remain as such, in my humble opinion. What do you think?

You'd be surprised at what books are banned. Today was banned books day at my college and we had readings from some of the books. Among them are:

All the Harry Potter books
Huckleberry Finn
Catcher in the Rye
Of Mice and Men
Bridge to Terabithia
My Brother Sam is Dead
A Wrinkle in Time
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Outsiders
Lord of the Flies

So basically, anything with substance that really has a message to give or something that explores emotions and people. I'd say it's quite the honor to be listed among those.

[Yolanda]

Hi again!

Well, a victory of sorts, Huckleberry Finn will stay in the school district, however "sensitivity" training has to be taught to the instructors who use this book in their class! The teachers are there to teach, when we start to muzzle them we take away our precious freedoms one book at a time. How on earth did we get here?

[Seeringrose]

I really was surprised when I heard. Not about him and the love affair with Gwindlewald, no. I am a slasher and like Muirgen, can read subtext in the most inoccent of settings. I am just surprised that Jo would openly admit it. I always assumed that all the couples she would comment on would be het, as to avoid the Crazy Christians (not that all are crazy, just the few who are).

As for allertering my view on Dumbledore? I just assume every character is bi, untill told otherwise. Really after reading the amount of slash I have, only way to survive reading the real books.

[DreamCastle]

How did we get here, Yolanda? We got here because of both sides. The conservatives that want everything to be great and candy coated. The liberals that want to make sure, and Heaven forbid, we don't upset or hurt anyone's feelings. These two groups are so bent on making their point the loudest and making sure they openly oppose anything and everything the other side says just b/c it's what they're "supposed to do". Know what I mean? Everyone, no matter what their views and beliefs are, needs to step back and think of what they're actually doing and saying, and who it's hurting or affecting. Put a muzzle on the greatest literary minds of all time? Ridiculous. If you don't like the book, don't read it and shut up so the rest of us who want to, can. That's what I think.

[DreamCastle]

BTW: I am a Christian and have been all my life. I have my own morals and beliefs. However, that doesn't mean I'm going to get my torch and pitchfork out whenever I encounter something I don't particularly believe in. It's being at peace with yourself that makes a difference. People who aren't just can't tolerate anything that challenges that sense of self.

[TheSilverDoe]

My mom sent me an email with this news article in it, which I thought some of you here might appreciate. I especially like the first three, and #5:

Seven Clues that Dumbledore was Gay:

1. His pet. "Fawkes, the many-colored phoenix, is 'flaming.'"

2. His name. "While the anagram to 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' is 'I am Lord Voldemort,' as my good friend pointed out, 'Albus Dumbledore' becomes 'Male bods rule, bud!'"

3. His fashion sense. "Whether it's his 'purple cloak and high-heeled boots,' a 'flamboyantly cut suit of plum velvet,' a flowered bonnet at Christmas or his fascination with knitting patterns, Dumbledore defies the fashion standards of normative masculinity and, of course, this gives him a flair like no other. It's no wonder that even the uppity portrait of former headmaster Phineas Nigellus announced, 'You cannot deny he's got style.'"

4. His sensitivity. "Leaders like Cornelius Fudge, Rufus Scrimgeour and Dolores Umbridge (yes, even a woman) who are limited by the standards of normative masculinity could not fully embrace where Voldemort was weakest: in his capacity to love. Dumbledore understood that it's tougher to be vulnerable, to express one's feelings, and that one's undying love for friends and for life itself is a more powerful weapon than fear. Even his most selfish moments in pursuing the Deathly Hallows were motivated either by his feelings for Grindelwald or his wish to apologize to his late sister."

5. His openness. "After she outed Dumbledore, Rowling said that she viewed the whole series as a prolonged treatise on tolerance. Dumbledore is the personification of this. Like the LGBT community that has time and again used its own oppression to fight for the equality of others, Dumbledore was a champion for the rights of werewolves, giants, house elves, muggle-borns, centaurs, merpeople -- even alternative marriage. When it came time to decide whether the marriage between Lupin the werewolf and Tonks the full-blooded witch could be considered natural, Professor Minerva McGonagall said, 'Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world.'"

6. His historical parallel. "If Dumbledore were like any one in history, it would have to be Leonardo DaVinci. They both were considered eccentric geniuses ('He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes'); both added a great deal to our body of knowledge (after all, Dumbledore did discover the 12 uses of dragon's blood!); both were solitary, both were considered warm, loving and incredibly calm; both dwelt in mysterious mystical realms; both spent a lot of time with their journals (Leonardo wrote his backwards while Dumbledore was constantly diving into his pensieve); both even had long hair! And, of course, a popular thought among many scholars is that the maestro Leonardo was gay."

7. The fact that so few of us realized he was gay. "No matter how many 'clues' I can put down that Dumbledore was gay, no matter how many millions of people have read these books again and again, Rowling surprised even the most die-hard fans with the announcement that Dumbledore was gay. And in the end, the fact that we never would have guessed is what makes Dumbledore being gay so real. So many times I have encountered friends who are gay that I never would have predicted. It has shown me that one's sexual orientation is not some obvious 'lifestyle choice,' it's a precious facet of our multi-faceted personalities. And in the end whatever the differences between our personalities are, it is time that our world heeds Dumbledore's advice: 'Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.' Today as I write this, I believe that it's time for our aims to be loyal to what the greatest wizard in the world would have wanted them to be: love."

[Hedwig]

2. His name. "While the anagram to 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' is 'I am Lord Voldemort,' as my good friend pointed out, 'Albus Dumbledore' becomes 'Male bods rule, bud!'"

I can also convert it to "Babe Sold Mud Lure" or "Durable Bold Muse" and, my fave, "Bald Double Remus"


3. His fashion sense.

Well, that's 3/4's of the characters...OMG! Mundungus is gay!?!?! :)

4. His sensitivity.

I think this was due more to the classic 'mentor' character. To show Harry that compassion and love can win out.

6. His historical parallel.

Thought of him more as Merlin, but that's probably just me.

7. The fact that so few of us realized he was gay.

I had people tell me this before, but I never saw it openly revealed in the books. And I still don't. My thought is that is that I am not the least bit critical that DD was gay but that he wasn't openly so. Still, in the larger scheme of things, it doesn't make much difference now.