Abracadabra! With a wave of her words, Harry Potter author JK Rowling changed the course of human history Friday when she outed Hogwarts head-master Albus Dumbledore. Guess gays can be witches, too.
Appearing at New York’s Carnegie Hall for a reading and discussion of her insanely popular series, Rowling fielded a question about Dumbledore’s fictional sex life. That’s why she dropped the not-so-surprising bomb:
“Dumbledore is gay,” she said, adding he was smitten with rival Gellert Grindelwald, who he beat in a battle between good and bad wizards long ago.
The audience gasped, then applauded. “I would have told you earlier if I knew it would make you so happy,” she said.
“Falling in love can blind us to an extent,” she added, saying Dumbledore was “horribly, terribly let down” and his love for Grindelwald was his “great tragedy”.
The news will no doubt give social conservatives another reason to hate Harry Potter and, perhaps, reading.
We personally think it’s swell, although we do wonder why it took so long for Rowling to address a long-held rumor. British activist Peter Tatchell definitely thinks it’s suspect and, what’s more, wishes Rowling had used a little more force:
I am disappointed that she did not make Dumbledore’s sexuality explicit in the Harry Potter book. Making it obvious would have sent a much more powerful message of understanding and acceptance.
Outing the character, who leads protagonist Potter into wizardry, could have also spelled doom for book sales.
Paul Raposo
What Peter Tatchell doesn’t realize is that most of the hardcore HP fans had already figured this out. Ms. Rowling was merely confirming it for them and pointing it out to those who were oblivious.