Why? (Deathly Hallows spoilers)
October 20, 2007 — pooksAnd while we’re on the subject — oh, wait. We weren’t? Well, let me rectify that.
Why is Dumbledore gay, other than the fact that as the author JKR has always known this about him, so he simply is?
But why did she need to announce it?
It was either fit for print or it wasn’t. Are we supposed to stand up and cheer because after the fact she chose to reveal that a beloved character was gay? Either she had the balls (or ovum) to make him gay in the books, or she didn’t.
But honestly, I do have to wonder–to dress him in horridly-coloured robes (and truly, wouldn’t a gay wizard have better taste?) and make him be a twisted mentor who uses his young male protegee in a very malignant way (oh don’t tell me you approve!) and has a brother who casts “inappropriate charms” on goats, and then tell us he’s gay, um, run that by me again?
Let Kingsley be gay. Let one of the teenagers be gay. Let anybody be gay, I don’t care.
But put it in the freaking book or shut up about it, because frankly I just don’t see the point.
And PLEASE feel free to illuminate me, blast me, or respond in any way.
I’m open to other opinions.
And again, I repeat –
Why?
October 20, 2007 at 2:27 pm
[...] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptAnd while we’re on the subject — oh, wait. We weren’t? Well, let me rectify that. dumbledore-harris-film.jpg. Why is Dumbledore gay, other than the fact that as the author JKR has always known this about him, so he simply is? … [...]
October 20, 2007 at 7:10 pm
I have the same opinion. I can see, in retrospect, how this could have been awesome…if it had been in the books. It never occurred to me to question, and if it had, I still can’t see how it actually matters. There were a lot of adult characters in the book who were portrayed as practically asexual, and to me that was pretty normal since it was all essentially from a kid’s perspective. Even as the kids got older and had romances of their own, did we ever see adults as sexual beings when we were teens? I sure didn’t!
October 20, 2007 at 10:36 pm
Oh. My. God.
Two posts!
I am dialing 911.
October 20, 2007 at 11:38 pm
Seeing adults as sexual beings when I was a teen would have turned my hair white and my eyes bloody.
Don’t dial 911! They have already been here and they were not amused.
October 21, 2007 at 4:34 am
Spanky came downstairs and woke me from a nap to tell me the news.
I heard she hadn’t told anyone about it because no one ever asked.
October 21, 2007 at 11:19 am
Yes, when seeing it in context with the question asked I can see where it might have come up. I just find myself not bothering to read JKR’s interviews any more because I’m annoyed at how she keeps dropping in “tidbits” that weren’t worthy of showing up in the books and often run counter to anything I would have imagined. (I don’t care about Dumbledore — I’m not offended that he was gay; it just seems a “why bother telling us now?” thing to me.)
February 29, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Para mi, Dumbledore (Richard Harris) es mi actor preferido. Y no solo por la película de Harry Portter… por todas.
Es fantástico
March 21, 2008 at 1:29 pm
I know that it was a very controversial announcement by JKR, which shook the world of Harry Potter fans, but really, they’re her characters, she thought them up, and if it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t have Harry Potter. Some other characters have weird tendencies and personalities, but I don’t hear you complaining about them, do I? This is an aspect of Dumbledore’s character, and I’m glad it wasn’t put in the books, because it would have changed my view of Dumbledore, and perhaps spoiled my enjoyment.
So please, stop slagging JKR off - I love her!
And no, that’s not lesbian, you homophobist
March 21, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Believe me, I’ve gotten over it now!
And, um, I’m not the homophobe here. I’m not the one who said my enjoyment of the books would have been changed if I’d known Dumbledore was gay.
But seriously, thanks for posting! Welcome, any time!
May 13, 2008 at 7:07 pm
-SPOILERS-
Well you say it had no sense for the book and knowing it or not would have made no difference, but it is the whole opposite.
JK explained that the reason why Dumbledore had been drawn into the whole Grindelwald thing, was by the fact that Dubledore felt in love with Grindelwald, so his judgement was blind and therefore he thought and made awful things.
And this must be explain to say that because of this terrible experience, Dumbledore closed himself to all posibilities of love and became rather “asexual”, and this was to tell you all also that he was never “kind of evil-ish” he was just young and fool.
Being that said, I hope you understand why did she said it, and the HUGE importance to the character understanding this fact was.
May 13, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Then do you agree that it should have been included in the book, i it had that much impact on the story?
May 31, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Dumbldore was inlove with Grindelvald, that’s why he never realised that he was bad.