J.K. Rowling Outs Dumbledore

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I just see the whole “outing” as entirely specious pandering. If someone can clearly and definitively explain how this “revelation” enhances the story line in any meaningful way, I’m ready to listen. Not to mention… in an interview I saw with the author upon the completion of the last book, she went on and on about how she loved and respected children. This detail generates nothing but lurid speculation which is most disrespectful of children’s relative immaturity and/or innocence.

I abhor discrimination against orientation (which is different than conduct) and/or other immutable characteristics, but we’re taliking about*** fiction*** here, folks!! I think the author has accomplished nothing other than a breach of the innocence and trust of her young fans with this meaningless and crass bow to the mainstream media. I see it as nothing more than a pathetic effort to revive a bit of publicity–as if the books, movies or her balance sheet really need the boost. In my mind she has prostituted her reputation as master story teller to become a master manipulator.
 
You’re right, some kinds of authority do need to be questioned. I question school officials and politicians all the time. 😃

But I think it can be inferred that she’s at least partly referring to Christian “authorities” here. I think she may want people to question Christian values. I could be wrong, but that’s what I suspect. And a lot of others suspect the same thing.
 
Does anybody think Dumbledore has an existence outside of the pages of the books?
 
ROFLOL!! I’m sorry, this is hilarious!

I’m a Potter fan and will continue to be a Potter fan. They are FICTIONAL books, whatever J.K. states outside of the books doesn’t matter to me. It didn’t happen in the book, it was never said in the book. I’m not into fan fiction. And even if she does write a prequel or that encycopedia, it’s still not in the series. I don’t have to read that to still enjoy Potter. Just like LOTR you don’t have to read all the other “supplements” to know what happened in those books.

And so what if Dumbledore was non-practicing homosexual. Good for him for stepping up and saying “I won’t live in this way”.

I’ll admit there have been 2 women I’ve had feelings for. If I didn’t have the love for God that I do, I could have or would have become a lesbian. But in my heart I knew it wasn’t what God wanted.

So CHEERS to Dumbledore for living a chaste life (according to what’s in the books)👍
 
Oh my gosh!

A novel populated with fictional characters who sin (or are tempted to sin) just like the rest of us!

Heaven forfend!

Lock up the kids, honey, Rowling’s gone off the deep end! Never trust a Brit!

🙂
 
my niece who has been a huge HP fan forever, just told me about this last night, and she said she is threw with HP because of this.
 
Ahimsa said:
Oh my gosh!

A novel populated with fictional characters who sin (or are tempted to sin) just like the rest of us!

Heaven forfend!

Lock up the kids, honey, Rowling’s gone off the deep end! Never trust a Brit!

🙂
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I’m unable to tell where your sarcasm is directed. Clearly, Dumbledore is not presented as a sinner, at least not on account of his homosexuality. That’s what people get upset about. If you go to a children’s movie and a character says “it’s okay to be gay” are we to say, “oh, sinners are sinners” or “oh, they’re trying to tell our kids that there is nothing wrong with being gay”?
 
SILVERNAME said:
I wonder what the pro-Rowling and Pro-potter Christians/Catholics would say now.

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That we could not care less at what she says Dumbledore is and that it is a blast watchng all the Potter haters throw hissy fits over a fictional character who never gave a hint of being gay. Now if Dumbledore had had steamy sex with Mad Eye Moody i might agree with you.
 
ABostonCatholic said:
I’m unable to tell where your sarcasm is directed.** Clearly, Dumbledore is not presented as a sinner, at least not on account of his homosexuality**. That’s what people get upset about. If you go to a children’s movie and a character says “it’s okay to be gay” are we to say, “oh, sinners are sinners” or “oh, they’re trying to tell our kids that there is nothing wrong with being gay”?
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Neither is he presented as a Homosexual.
 
ABostonCatholic said:
I’m unable to tell where your sarcasm is directed. Clearly, Dumbledore is not presented as a sinner, at least not on account of his homosexuality. That’s what people get upset about. If you go to a children’s movie and a character says “it’s okay to be gay” are we to say, “oh, sinners are sinners” or “oh, they’re trying to tell our kids that there is nothing wrong with being gay”?
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I find the entire reaction to the Dumbledore-Gay “revelation” very interesting. Some say, “We told you so! The Harry Potter Series (THPS) is quite unChristian!” Well, the fact that Dumbledore wasn’t portrayed as engaging in homo-erotic acts should count for something, no? And, last I check, it’s the acts that are condemned in Catholicism, not the psychological temptations.

On the other hand, the fact that Rowling wrote about “magic” should have been some sign that Rowling’s own version of Christianity might not be all that consistent with Catholic Magisterial teachings. (Not that that’s a bad thing, since Rowling isn’t Catholic.) But people should have seen this coming from a mile away.

Add to all of that, the fact that Rowling is still alive, so she can add (or reveal) any sort of backdrop to the story that she wants. (Whereas Tolkien and C. S. Lewis are safely dead and quiet.)

King David wrote the Psalms, yet he was an adulterer and a murderer, not much better than Dumbledore, one could say. And yet Christians read the Psalms every day. Indeed, Psalms might be (outside of the NT) the most widely recited OT book in Christian liturgies.

All in all, I figure Rowling has a few more tricks up her sleeves. Be careful whom you praise, especially if they are still alive.😃
 
coffeelover said:
You’re right, some kinds of authority do need to be questioned. I question school officials and politicians all the time. 😃

But I think it can be inferred that she’s at least partly referring to Christian “authorities” here. I think she may want people to question Christian values. I could be wrong, but that’s what I suspect. And a lot of others suspect the same thing.
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We have some Christian authorities who need to be questioned, too! There’s Joel Osteen right in my hometown. And Luther and Calvin.

The point is that people who are/were raised to weigh things against strong morals can figure out who and what to question. They won’t do it because an author says so. And if kids are questioning, Mom and Dad should be there to help until they can reason it out for themselves.
 
KCtheMommy said:
And I disagree with YOU. I have actually READ all seven books. Have you? Just wondering, as I do know what I am about to refer to. I know the story line of the character, and it never occured to me that he was gay.

While it may have been silly for her to come out and say that he was “gay,” it made sense in a way because the main character of his past was a male – not a female. She just didn’t have a female in line for the story (nor would of it have fit.). So since it’s a male, then, well there we go: HE steered the character’s whole life. Which was a life of good deeds, helping children and fighting evil.

Yet the character lived a life exactly as YOU tell homosexuals to do that visit this site. One of chastity. This character’s behavior is exactly what YOU preach, only he happens to be a powerful wizard in a children’s book. If he were a real man he would be simply a man of a different religion, living chastely, and his PREVIOUS sexuality would have no bearing on his current life.

BUT, despite my admonations – we are talking about a character with absolutely no homosexual – or ANY sexual reference made to him throughout the book series. Who cares what he might have been prior to showing up in the book, it’s not IN the books! It’s just fiction. Geesh.

This is just a news blip, it will fade, and my kids aren’t going to know anything about it…but they do know Harry Potter and enjoy the books as much as I do. It really means nothing. To not allow kids to read it because the author suggested a character was something that’s not even written about IN THE BOOKS is a moot point…
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I was thinking this too, but I still think it was really not necessary for her to “out” him. I’ve got to say, my kids heard about it, and it is really bugging them.
 
dulcissima said:
I was thinking this too, but I still think it was really not necessary for her to “out” him. I’ve got to say, my kids heard about it, and it is really bugging them.
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Ummm…why? it’s just a book.
 
It sounded to me when I read the article like she was just humorously quoting something from fan fiction.
 
Nevarlander said:
Oh, for the love of…

Destructive homosexual relationship involving a character who becomes less and less “good” as the series goes on, which isn’t even in the text so “young readers” wouldn’t pick up on it? There’s nothing to complain about here. The only thing I’m worried about is how long Dumbledore/Grindelwald will be in violation of Rule 34 with this news and the hateshippers will all come out and be “SQUEE!”
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I agree. There is no indication in the books whatsoever. I can still read them and not have this bit of information affect my enjoyment of the series.

I do feel for the parents who’s young children will be asking what “gay” is though. My children are too young to even pay attention to this “news” and I certainly won’t tell them as they read the books. The series still can be read in a wholesome fantasy way.

I love all the backstory to Lord of the Rings. I really think it enhances the story. With the HP series I’ll skip the backstory and make up my own (See JKR! I’m questioning YOUR author-ity!).
 
paradoxy said:
It sounded to me when I read the article like she was just humorously quoting something from fan fiction.
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I wasn’t sure what to make of what she said but I do think that the remark was directed more to the virtual and convention Potter audience than to the strictly literary or film audiences. Whatever J. K. Rowling had personally thought about the Albus Dumbledore character she kept the books relatively clean. Her remark was directed to the ‘extended’ audience. Harry Potter has one of the larger online fan communities. Such communities invariably have their various shipper and erotica sub-communities.

If my child was merely a fan of the books and/or the movies I doubt it will have a great deal of impact on them.
 
I remember reading the novel for the first Star Trek movie back in 1979. Captain Kirk wrote a preface and joked about the rumors of a homosexual affair between him and Spock. Why does any of this matter in fiction folks?
 
goofyjim said:
I remember reading the novel for the first Star Trek movie back in 1979. Captain Kirk wrote a preface and joked about the rumors of a homosexual affair between him and Spock. Why does any of this matter in fiction folks?
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It matters because this particular fiction is written (supposedly) for children. It is not appropriate for children to be exposed these ideas, nor is it appropriate for a chidren’s author to be promoting characters as “gay”.
 
Star Trek is read by children as well. If we never let them know that gay people exist then we are keeping them in a fantasy world.
 
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