Dumbledore is gay.?

Question

What is your opinion about this?

Personally I don't see the point of doing after the books are all finished. (Publicity of course, but seems desperate and pathetic to me)

Answer 1

My only opinion is that I hate having to think about Dumbledore having to have a sexual preference.

She has been slowly telling people more and more about the backgrounds of her characters. I don't think it was a publicity stunt; I think she just saw an opportunity to mention that part of the character. There was no point in the books at which it ever could or should have come out.

There would be no point in having a publicity stunt now, because most people who were going to buy the book already have; and, saying that a beloved character is *gasp* gay will actually just anger more people than it will pull in!

Answer 2

Just my take on it:

When JKR stated she would create an Harry Potter Encyclopedia to create an in depth knowledge about characters, the revelation about Dumbledore's sexuality might have been acknowledged and expanded upon.

In the fan fiction subculture, regular everyday people are writing stories that embed themselves into the world of HP. The plot line of Dumbledore being gay may have stemmed from these fan fiction stories.

JKR developed each and every character with passion and great care for detail. She knew what she was doing all along. The underlying theme is NOT 'being gay'. It is 'acceptance for all'.

True HP fans would have picked up on clues in previous books. Subtle clues and backstories might have made the reader think something else was going on.

Again, just my take on it. The issue will die down and some other controversy will take its place.

Answer 3

As if Rowling or the Harry Potter franchise needs more publicity.

Most characters take on a life of their own in an author's imagination. For whatever reasons, Rowling felt that Dumbledore is gay. Even she may not be able to articulate the reasons why, and she was shrewd enough not to make explicit mention of the notion in (what is essentially) a book for children, but it probably colored certain actions the Dumbledore character took, even if no one but Rowling was aware of it.

Answer 4

I don't think that JKR has an agenda, or is seeking more publicity. According to the story I read, she had told the writer of the screenplay for HBP that Dumbledore was gay because there was mention of a female love interest in the screenplay and she had to set them right. Having done that, she might as well have made it public, since it would have eventually come out anyway--she could control when and how it was done. and in any case, this story came out because she was directly asked if Dumbledore loved anyone.

Throughout the series, we know Dumbledore as a tireless and seemingly single-minded fighter against Dark Wizards (at least from Harry's perspective; we do have to remember that Albus is also a great teacher, an alchemist, and important theoretical Wizard--remember the tools and instruments he made himself). But how did Albus become that way?

We learn much about this in DH, with Arianna's story, Aberforth's story and the story of the friendship between Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald. In reading DH, it was clear that Grindelwald seduced Dumbledore on a number of levels; intellectually, ideologically, and, by JKR's new revelation, emotionally. We don't know if that seduction was sexual as well, and I'm not sure it is important for us to know.

The revelation completes the picture for us of a man who felt betrayed, injured by one he loved, ashamed at how far he went from rational thought and behavior, how far he really was from what he thought he was.

The up shot is that we now know more completely Dumbledore's motivations for fighting Dark Wizards--his shame at his own tangential contribution to Grindelwald's career, his reluctance to fight him, and, when Voldemort rose, his determination to not to repeat his prior mistake of inaction and to fight Voldemort from the start.

So in summery, It was part of the way JKR viewed Dumbledore and understood him. I don't think it was something that would have come out voluntarily--more likely something that would have made a scholarly article 50 or 60 years from now after she was gone and literary scholars had access to her full notes (assuming she left them to be investigated).

BTW, there is some inkling of this in DH, where Rita Skeeter talks about devoting a chapter in her book about Dumbledore to the Dumbledore/Harry relationship. This is not to say that there was anything improper--but that JKR did put out a hint.

wl

Answer 5

Apparently for some reason she had always thought of him as being gay when she wrote the stories and even quashed the idea if him reminiscing about his lost sweetheart in the first movie with the note that he was gay.
I agree with Sam's answer, It is a childs book and I would rather not worry about what the characters sexual preferrences are. Especially as it makes no difference to the story at all..

Answer 6

Dumbledore is a fictional character. He is a figment of J K Rowling's imagination. People who waste 1 second worrying about his sexual orientation (or about any aspect of Harry Potter) need to get a life.

This whole series was never appropriate for the audience for which it seemed to be intended--themes were way too complex and dark for children and way too childish for mature audiences.

Answer 7

I agree about the publicity, but for what? As you say, the books are finished; the author has said there will be no others. Heaven knows, she already made plenty of money off them. I think it's a little, well, trashy. Let the books stand for what they were. Personally, my thoughts were 1. WTF? 2.Who cares what you say, Lady? and 3. Cheap shot.

Answer 8

Maybe it's an attempt by the author to preach tolerance. Given that anti-gay bigotry is so strong among middle-schoolers, she might be trying to surprise them with "guess what! Someone you admire is gay."

Answer 9

I think it was stupid to release this info. after the books are done. If he was meant to be gay then it should have been in the books. But it makes me wonder, maybe Harry is gay too. They did spend a lot of time together........just kidding.

Answer 10

well i said WHAT he can't be ... then i rememberd him saying that gellert looked handsome ""pretty""
but what i think is she shouldn't have said that cuz parants forbid their young children from reading this fantastic series just b\c of her statement !! ^_^ and what do ppl care about dumbledores s*x life ?? i don't know it was kinda weird .. ^_^