J.K. Rowling Outs Hogwarts Character: Albus Dumbledore is gay

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: NYT/AP

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 20, 2007

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....

***

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....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.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-Books-Harry-Potter.html

[Elidor]

1. I knew it. It's gandalf, isn't it?

I foresaw this in a dream.

[kimmylavin]

18. Oh Wow!

Wouldn't they just be the best couple?
All that calm wisdom... I'd visit them every day! :)

[aquart]

2. Now we know how he fell under the sway of those bad boys.

[mike_c]

3. in other news, the Artful Dodger sleeps with boys....

This is just so SHOCKING.

[Ken Burch]

4. It's FAGIN who sleeps with the boys. The Artful Dodger IS a boy.

And Bill Sykes shags Nancy.

Keep your OLIVER! sexual subtexts straight, willya?

[mike_c]

5. oh yeah....

:blush:

[Occulus]

7. I played the Artful Dodger in high school

Trust me- he sleeps with his own sex.

:D

[Ken Burch]

10. OK, but he's a boy sleeping with other boys his age.

So it's not the same thing as Fagin doin' the lot of 'em.

(And I guess I hadn't picked up on that side of the Dodger from the '68 film version. This does give "Consider Uourself At Home" several additional layers of meaning.)

[meegbear]

20. DAVY JONES IS GAY!!?!?1?

:cry:

[rusty quoin]

6. I read maybe 4 of this series. She is a great writer, but it is fantasy.

Not to lessen her accomplishments,which are great, yet she seems to come close to the writings of Dickens. I am sure he was a big influence on her. When first reading her books, Dickens came to my mind, but his writings were about social issues. He changed England. We do not have someone today, who can write like 'the Dickens' and change society.

I know I am talking about two different worlds, but wouldn't it be great if J.K. Rowling finished the 'Harry Potter' and wrote novels about what is wrong with society?

[XemaSab]

21. One of her greatest influences is Jessica Mitford, communist.

And there is a strong social justice theme to the later books.

[Jade Fox]

67. Interesting.....

I didn't know that. Mitford is a very unusual influence for a children's book writer! But I approve. Mitford was great.

[chrisau214]

24. The Potter Books are About Society

I know I am talking about two different worlds, but wouldn't it be great if J.K. Rowling finished the 'Harry Potter' and wrote novels about what is wrong with society?

That's exactly what the 'Harry Potter' books have always been about. The wizardry and adventure is window dressing for the underlying theme and the theme will resonate much more strongly when presented in a science fiction/fantasy setting.

Straight up preaching in straight fiction would be ignored and forgotten. Millions of kids will absorb the messages in the Potter books and carry them forever.





Chris

[Prophet 451]

27. Fantasy is about reflection

Most of the later books have a big theme of social justice and racial tolerance. Like Pratchett (who does outright atire in a fantasy setting), Rowling uses fantasy to exagerate the real world as a way of drawing attention to it's faults.

[tblue37]

35. The later books in her series are about the takeover of

government by protofascists and about the damage they do. Some are actually in league with the forces of evil, some are just obnoxious authoritarians, but all destroy freedom. Even one of Ron's brothers falls for the authoritarian shtick, and by the time he realizes what nazis they are, he can't get free of them or help anyone. She even deals with the way media is coopted. She deals with media focus on fake gotcha scandals and also with media sucking up to power to gain staus and perks, failing altogether to fulfill its watchdog role.

She most definitely was writing about important political problems. The unholy Bush-Cheney/Blair alliance and the evil they let loose into an unsuspecting world was powerfully reflected in the Harry Potter books. They are brilliant political satire.

Another "children's" fantasy series that takes on the political situations created by Bush/Blair and their ilk is the Bartimaeus trilogy, by Jonathan Stroud.

[rosesaylavee]

36. I wouldn't underestimate her

influence on todays youth who have read all her books as quickly as she can write them. Her books encourage tolerance of other people who are not quite 'in' and promote finding the courage needed to fight for what's right no matter what the odds. And her real heroes in the books are the kids. The adults just don't get it. As an adult, I think she's right on about that last one.

I think we won't know the true influence of her writing until this new generation of children get to be adults themselves.

AND, I am looking forward to her next book. I bet she still has something to say.

[Neoma]

41. Her books had a bunch of messages in it about what is wrong with society.

You can't just stop with four.

[MedleyMisty]

61. Harry Potter is finished

And it is about society. The fifth book especially has political overtones and one of the creepiest most scary evil villians I've ever encountered - she has a rather Bush-like attitude to things.

I always thought allegory was sort of the point of fantasy/science fiction, but hey, that's just me.

[mondo joe]

63. Her books ARE about what's wrong with society. Try reading them.

I hope she never abandons that for sanctimonious "realism".

[Scatterheart]

8. Out of the hundreds of characters...

...in those novels, I knew at least ONE of them statistically had to be gay. Always wondered who, hee hee.:D

[DeepModem Mom]

13. Hi, Scatterheart -- welcome to DU!!!

[Scatterheart]

15. Thanks!

:hi:

[XemaSab]

22. I had the EXACT SAME THOUGHT!

Welcome to DU!

[Bolo Boffin]

9. Oh, wow.

Of course it all fits, and I'm happy to hear it...

...but if you thought the right-wing Christianoids hated these books before, oy, gevalt.

[Kixel]

17. It's amazing how they criticize what they don't read...

I think she did the right thing-millions of kids around the world adore Dumbledore. This could be a great paradigm shift for kids who are getting the wrong message elsewhere.

Kudos to JK!

[joshcryer]

34. Erm, read the context of what she wrote. She was making fun of fanfic.

And people who take this seriously are delusional and insane!

[antigone382]

57. No, she wasn't. Dumbledore really is gay.

I read the article...she jokes about what the fanfic response will be, but as she pointed out, she even told the director of the sixth movie to can a reference to a former female love interest because it didn't fit with Dumbledore's character.

It's not the biggest thing in the world, but it's kinda cool to have one of the central characters in an enormously popular series of children's literature be gay...and not give a crap what anyone thinks about it. It's kinda a little landmark, imho...hope that doesn't make me too delusional.

[joshcryer]

71. Read the full quote.

"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".

"Oh, my god," Rowling, 42, concluded with a laugh, "the fan fiction".

Rowling said her books are a "prolonged argument for tolerance"

Fan sites have long speculated on Dumbledore's sexuality as he was known for having a mysterious, troubled past.

Rowling told the audience that while working on the planned sixth Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, she saw the script carried a reference to a girl who was once of interest to Dumbledore.

She said she ensured director David Yates was made aware of the truth about her character.


She's *making fun* of fan fiction BS. It's not even there implicitly, she just conjured it up from thin air to rile people up. If she wanted to make him gay she could've actually written it in the books, but it's not there.

[fishwax]

75. I don't see how that shows she's making fun of fan fiction

she's encouraged fan fiction in the past, so I don't see how the mere reference to fan fiction demonstrates that she's making fun of it :shrug:

[antigone382]

78. I did read the full quote. I think we're interpreting it differently.

n/t

[Spangle]

92. Yes it is

It's just not blunt with it. His 'great tragedy", if the whole section was a woman, there would be no question of his 'interest.' When my eldest daughter read it, she picked up on it real quick and wondered.

[Bolo Boffin]

85. I disagree.

Why would she have a reference to a heterosexual longing taken out of the movie script if she was just making it up?

[codjh9]

80. Yep! It'll hurt her sales, but I think it'll still be a drop in the bucket

[Hekate]

11. Grindelwald! Of course!

> 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.''

I didn't speculate about Dumbledore's sex-life, but once she said it I knew it had to be Gellert Grindelwald, his intellectual and physical equal.

Hekate

[rosesaylavee]

37. Has to be Grindelwald - I thought so too. n/t

[HuffleClaw]

12. oh wow, the fundies are gonna FREAK

the slash writers must be thrilled though

[Xeno of Elia]

14. Dumbledore/Snape

You know it's coming. ;)


Edited to add: I think this is a great development. It adds depth to Dumbledore's character, and may have the added bonus of giving young readers who are just discovering their sexuality a strong gay role model (fictional though he is).

[DeepModem Mom]

16. Welcome to DU, Xeno of Elia!!!

[FloridaJudy]

19. I always felt that Snape was probably bi

And I'm grateful the teachers at Hogwarts are showing some signs they're not all dead beneath the waist. The only ones who've shown any romantic interest are Hagrid and Snape (and Snape's infatuation with Lily is unrequited). Until now they all seem to have taken some vow of celibacy.

Now Argus Filch and that cat: that's a creepy relationship!

[XemaSab]

23. Hey now...

who says Snape's love is unrequited? :shrug: :D

[Matilda]

25. Indeed - we don't know what happened

before he drove her away with his "Mudblood" comment.

It would have hurt her much more if things between them had got really
hot ...

[Prophet 451]

26. I doubt it

Given the ages of the characters, I would imagine things between them were just starting to get heated before he blew it all.

[XemaSab]

55. Then again, Snape would have *loved* to have said

"Hey Harry, I did your mom." :P

But maybe he showed some discretion in his last moments... :P

[Bolo Boffin]

84. Well, the fanfic will probably be out there, if it's not already.

But now I think Dumbledore's tragic love story is why he trusted Snape in the first place. He saw the same devastation of love denied in Snape.

Dumbledore and Snape both are all about remorse.

[Dukkha]

86. no, they're already boycotting it

for promoting reading, i mean witchcraft, to children :eyes:

apparently imagination and creativity are sins.

[sufrommich]

28. I love the Potter series and Rowling.

The whole series is a lesson in the evils of intolerance. Harrys'Aunt and Uncle are the quintessential face of bland obedience to fear and prejudice.Voldemort and his minions are the living,breathing face of fascism. Is it any wonder these books have caused right wing nuts to howl in pain?
Dumbledore is gay,I love it.

[John Gauger]

29. JKR to Religious Right: "Fuck you very much."

She's not even mildly afraid of the coming backlash.

[Canuckistanian]

31. A literary middle finger

I love it!

[rosesaylavee]

38. What power do they have over her?

They have already boycotted her books. Just makes the kids want to read them more. Silly fundies.

[BushOut06]

108. They have the power to increase her sales

You'd think they would have learned by now. Everytime they go and protest a book or movie, it only serves to increase curiosity.

[The Witch]

30. pfffft!

:spray:

I smell an outpouring of fic to come

:rofl: :rofl: rofl: :rofl:

[johncoby2]

32. STFW?

[Kolesar]

33. This is arts,

...not news.

[DeepModem Mom]

39. Actually, with respect, I disagree. I think this event at Carnegie Hall goes beyond arts...

into the issue of homosexuality in our society and culture. And, aside from that, deaths of prominent people in the arts, for example, are regularly reported here as LBN. Happenings in the world of the arts and our culture can, I think, be newsworthy.

[Kolesar]

44. The billion bucks the author made would suggest that Harry Potter is relevant

I watched most of the first movie. Gave up at the Xmas trees shot. May be too tightly wrapped for that fare.

[XemaSab]

56. The first couple movies were pretty lame

They were made for kids, and by the end of the series Rowling's writing for adults, mostly. :shrug:

[intheflow]

82. I'm not sure she wrote the later books for adults, per se.

Rather, I think the book grew up along side the characters. Harry is 18 by the end of the series--considered an adult in any culture.

[MedleyMisty]

65. Ever read the books?

The movies suck and don't do any justice to the books at all. Sort of the exact opposite of the LOTR movies.

[Withywindle]

95. The movies dumbed it down so much.

Relax, make some hot cocoa, settle in and read the books. Otherwise you have no idea what people are really talking about. (that's the whole point of the HP phenomenon--the books! The movies are like Cliffs Notes, and not even GOOD Cliffs Notes.)

[mondo joe]

60. To the contrary: When a character in an immensely popular fiction is revealed

to be gay, given the political climate, it's news.

[DeepModem Mom]

62. The mods agreed with you -- the thread's moved to GD. nt

[onehandle]

40. Rowling is a nut.

I think she's addicted to the attention and will be slowly destroying the story by abusing the backstory for the rest of her life. I'm cool with her using the the plots to encourage kids to "question authority" and promote tolerance, but making up shit as you go along for shock value to attract the spotlight is very, very sad.

She wrote six great books, but was clearly losing her mind during the last book.

Clearly.

[Neoma]

42. Lame.

[eleonora]

46. Huh...

How is this 'revelation' destroying the backstory? She dropped numerous hints and OMG the fact that he's gay didn't -and shouldn't- change the readers' prerception of him as a leader against evil, which is very progressive and smart of her.

[onehandle]

48. It's not definitively there.

Adding that bit of information after the fact doesn't add anything. Now forever, there's a asterix attached to the story. If she wanted Dumbledore gay, she should have come out with it directly...during the damn book.

What if this is her next offhand remark?:

"Hagrid cared so deeply for creatures that he murdered muggles that abused animals as a hobby and fed them to Aragog in the Dark Forrest."

Why the Hell not?

[eleonora]

51. purple robes and all that jazz?

That's the thing, his sexual orientation shouldn't change anyone's perception of his achievements. Why should it is the true question. He was described as dressing in bright purple robes, I mean...he wasn't married throughout his whole -long- life. Hint hint?

[liquiduniverse]

50. Why didn't she explicitly write it in the book?

Sorry, but I too see this as a cheap shot way to draw shock value.

It seems she wants to have the best of both worlds. Don't put it in the book to avoid a possible media backlash and then after the millions of books are sold go ahead and change the story to whatever suits her newest goals.

[eleonora]

53. and what's her newest goal?

She didn't write it explicitly because it wasn't relevant to the plot. Doesn't mean she didn't imagine him as gay. There's a lot she left out of the books she'll eventually get to for the encyclopedia.
I don't think she'd say this for publicity. She doesn't need it. She truthfully answered an audience member's question.

[NYC Liberal]

68. With some other author, I MIGHT be inclined to agree,

however, if you read all of the books first to last, when you get to #7 you can see that she planned the entire story out when she began writing, what, 10 years ago. Read the last one then read the other ones, and you'll see how much of Book 7 is referenced to and hinted at even that early.

So I do not think it's true at all that she's just "making it up as she goes long"...anything she says I don't doubt she's known all along.

[Bonobo]

43. How can a thinly drawn, barely 2 dimensional character be gay?

[eleonora]

45. what?

Apparently book 7 is mystery to you.

[Bonobo]

52. It is. After reading 1-5 to my kids, I was BUUURNED out. Never looked back.

[eleonora]

54. meh

whatever floats your boat...or doesn't, but book 7 was the book reveling the character for what he truly was (and he's not flawless).

[Liberal_in_LA]

76. I got a bit tired in the in but wanted to find out how it ended. Loads happen in book 6 and 7.

[Neoma]

47. She described it in 4D man.

Two dimensional is inaccurate.

[uppityperson]

91. now that was funny.

Thank you.

[Neoma]

49. Dumbledore! Dumbledore! He is so happy and gay!

[The Straight Story]

58. She just announced that Harry is straight - DAMN, too many twists and turns for me

In my mind, I made up everyone's sexuality...

[tammywammy]

59. And she also said that Christianity inspired Harry Potter

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/10/20/bopotter120.xml

snip
Breaking her silence on the much-debated question as to whether religious themes permeate her books, Rowling confirmed that they echoed her personal struggle with faith.

Speaking in America this week, she was open about the Christian allegories in her latest book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
advertisement

The author said that she had always deflected questions on the issue in the past to avoid disclosing the direction in which the books were heading.

"To me, the religious parallels have always been obvious," Rowling said. "But I never wanted to talk too openly about it because I thought it might show people who just wanted the story where we were going."

At the end of her latest and final installment in the series, there are specific references to Christianity and themes of life after death and resurrection.

At one point Harry visits his parents' graves and finds two biblical passages
snip

more at the link

[LWolf]

64. That seemed obvious

in "hallows" when we learned about his "friendship" with Grindelwald.

He acted more like a person who's lost his head over a love affair than a person who suddenly allows one friend to change his life.

It helps to explain his delay, and reluctance, in going after Grindelwald when necessary, as well.

[originalpckelly]

66. Well, that's nice that he's happy.

:P

[Hekate]

100. His eyes, how they twinkled... lol

:rofl:

Hekate

[TrogL]

69. There are almost no relationships within Harry Potter

The only notable exceptions are the Dursleys (disfunctional) and the Weasleys (odd but traditional).

All the staff are apparently bachelors and the kids were dropped off by storks.

There's been some delicious speculation in the "slash" fiction (especially the "tea" series, that should be enough of a hint (on edit, no it's not. I'm sorry but with a post number like that I've got to put in the real link. Synchronicity rocks! ) but in the books themselves everybody appears to keep their hands to themselves.

If Rowling is promoting a backstory, it needs to make it into print so it becomes canon.

[tammywammy]

70. I think she's going to do like a Harry Potter encyclopedia

I believe I read that a few days after book 7 was done. She's always said that the characters have much more back story than what made it in the books, for instance she's talked about Dean Thomas a lot, but it always ended up cut out.

[TrogL]

72. sort of what Tolkein did with Silmarillion?

I never did understand that book or the reason for it.

[tammywammy]

74. Sorry, I never read that

:blush:

[joshcryer]

73. Correct, it's not canon if it's not written down.

So the next book (10 years from now when she's bored) should have a Dumbledore gay sex scene, clearly.

[onehandle]

89. Exactly.

McGonagall was a closet bull dike.

Percy Weasley had sex with chickens.

Neville Longbottom was a closet cross-dresser.


She's making up shit to keep herself in the spotlight.

[truebrit71]

101. Brokeback Hallows?

...the mind boggles!!!!

[John Kerry VonErich]

77. I think it's a publicity stunt.

All authors do that.

[DeepModem Mom]

79. Except that someone at my house just commented that she's already richer than the Queen...

literally -- so maybe doesn't really need more publicity.

[onehandle]

90. You do if you want to keep yourself in the spotlight. nt

[texastoast]

96. Thank you, finally!

Like she needs attention??

[Neoma]

81. I think it's just to piss off fundamentalists even more.

[KaptBunnyPants]

83. Yes, because the author of the Harry Potter series needs publicity.

nm

[The Inquisitive]

87. She'll have to publish it for it to actually be true

I guess she'll bring it up in the Harry Potter encyclopedia thing she's working on. Harry Potter might be her creation, but she can't start adding things in after the conclusion of the series. This is to me, the equivalent if she declared that Hermoine was actually an agent from MI6 to investigate the extent to which Hogwarts and the magical world poised a threat to national security. If it is not discernable from the text than it just isn't so. Dumbledore's sexuality as written is unclear, and to me, it will remain so.

[Neoma]

88. Whose to say she won't make another series?

The Harry Potter series is finished. But there are enough characters to choose from to make another series.

[dysfunctional press]

93. or add a pre-quel.

nt.

[texastoast]

97. She said she's considering

science fiction next. After the Potter encyclopedia.

[Matilda]

94. I have the same feeling.

I wasn't happy with the Epilogue anyway - it was just too neat and tidy,
everything tied up with ribbon, all nice and pretty.

I don't know whether she really had ideas in her head about everyone's
back-story and future-story, or whether she's just responding now to
repeated questions. One example is Neville - we were told in the book
that he became Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts, but nothing of a wife.
Suddenly he's now married to Hannah Abbott, with whom he had no special
interaction at school.

And Luna, who did play an important role in the battle against Lord V,
was completely ignored in the Epilogue. Now Rowling has invented a
career and later on a husband for her - it doesn't sit very well for me.
I think she's improvising as she goes.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

99. Uh...

I think even if she published it it still wouldn't be true on account of the whole "fiction" thing.

"Harry Potter might be her creation, but she can't start adding things in after the conclusion of the series."

Sure she can.

[dkofos]

98. Does anyone that counts really give a shit??

[Hekate]

103. Nah. No one who thinks HP "teaches witchcraft" is going to change their tiny minds any way.

Let the book-burnings commence!

The rest of us will file the information, and most of us will see no need to bring it up as our children read the books, any more than we discuss whether Molly and Arthur Weasley stick to the missionary position or experiment in the bedroom.

Dumbledore's overall cheerfullness (I'm sorry, sometimes I can't resist) is something I will discuss if the occasion arises, which it might now that the information is out there.

I love the Harry Potter series, both the books and the movies, and I think they are among the best coming-of-age books I've ever read. Values? Couldn't be better in that department.

Hekate

[gatorboy]

102. *insert wand joke here*

[hootinholler]

105. The wand chooses the wizard...

Not the other way around.

-Hoot

[Rhythm and Blue]

107. "Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches." nt

[Proud Liberal Dem]

104. I hadn't thought about him in that way

But after reflecting back on the 7th book, I guess it does make a certain amount of sense in the context of his past relationship with Grindelwald (sp?), although, given the nature of the books and their intended audience, I guess I just didn't think too much about the sexuality of any of the characters, mostly because of the obviousness of the sexuality of the main characters. Dumbledore seemed to be one of those type of people who seemed to be "above" sexuality (i.e. celibate) like, say, a Priest. However, like I said before, it does seem to explain Dumbledore's apparently intense and tubulent involvement with Grindelwald. It also might explain why Dumbledore allowed him to live (imprisoned) instead of killing him off despite the danger that he represented to society unlike Voldemort, who he would have certainly vanquished had he been able to do so himself.

[CT_Progressive]

106. Dumbledore Arrested in Minneapolis Airport

Senator Larry Craig introduces "Airport Restroom Freedom Act" on his behalf.