Why did J.K. Rowling tell everyone that Dumbledore was gay?

Question

What a stupid, childish move. She cannot out that he was gay because nowhere in the books does it mention or hint at all that he was. I could care less if he was gay or not, but what she said has nothing to do with the book or anything. Readers should not even concern themselves with the sexuality of Dumbledore anyways! Once a book is done being written and sold to the public you cannot just change it to suit you. Those characters are now owned by the readers and it is completely inappropriate for an author to slip things in after the book is already out.

I stopped being interested in HP a long time ago because it just became too overrated and JK Rowling became too annoying.

JK Rowling is just pissed that she has ended the series and that her fame may go away so she thinks she has to make political remarks to keep her in the limelight.

Answer 1

I am a bit bemused at some of the things that you and others have said about it, and JKR's alleged motivations.

I don't think that JKR has an agenda, or is seeking more publicity. I think it speaks to the popularity of the series and the amount of emotional energy that fans have put into the books, that it became a big story.

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 scholar 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

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/10...

Answer 2

Probably because JK Rowling likes to give back stories on her characters that are not part of the books. It's something she's done a few times over the years and this was one of them. She probably always imagined Dumbledore as being gay and wanted to share that with the readers. She does say she did it because it came up in the production of one of the movies where she mentioned the character was gay. It probably is something of a ploy to get her attention and money as well, but so what if it is? We're not talking about literature here, we're talking about Harry Potter! I think she probably enjoys the controversy too, you know how Christians are so opposed to Harry Potter books, she's just toying with them giving them another reason to hate her books.

I highly doubt that her fame is just going to go away or that she fears that. She may never sell another book series again like she sold Harry Potter, but those books are a large part of the popular culture of the early part of this century. If you doubt that her fame is not going anywhere, just look at the craze, the number of books sold and the languages these books are published in! She's up there with John Lennon and Jesus!

Answer 3

First off she didn't just come out randomly and say "Pay attention to me!! Dombledore is gay!!" She was at a reaing and was taking questions. One person asked if Dombledore ever found true love. Kinda hard to explain without telling that he's gay. Yeah, maybe it didn't have anything to do with the plot, but she's the kind of writed who really likes to flesh out every detail of her characters. She didn't change anything in the series. Can you find one page throughout all seven of those books where it says "Dumbledore was straight."

Secondly, it is completely apropriate for the author to slip things in after the book is out. Readers have question, she doesn't have to hold back on answers anymore, what's the prblem. And Again, she's the ype of author who really gets involved with her characters and is happy to let people know about them.

Thridly, I highly doubt she said it to stay in the spotlight. She has no need to stay famous, she's already richer than the queen for god's sake! She just wants to spend time with her family. if you were a writer, you'd know that you don't write for money; you'd never get recognized that way. She writes because she likes to and she has a gift for it, whatever your opinion of it's quality is up to you.

And really, it's not her fault Harry Potter got popular. She wrote a book. she was poor, so she decided to see if she could scrape together a couple of royalties by selling it. Boom, people liked it. just because people like something doesn't mean the thing is bad. It is possible that some claim to read it to follow the crowd, but who cares, it creates just as many haters.

And honestly, how exactly did she become "annoying"? My I have an example or two?

Answer 4

She had always had Dumbledore as being Gay even though it is not stated in the series. She mentioned this fact to the script writers of the new movie in correction to some dialog between Harry and Dumbledore about a romance between Dumbledore and a woman . Her revealing this fact of course and no surprise open the floodgates of poisonous hate "how dare you " " what about the children" " we can't have gay characters in a children's novel the poor blighters might think its normal and that gays can actually be quite nice people and brave". What really angers me is the fact that in 2007 i still have to read or listen to such pathetic out bursts it is no different than the poison that the Jews or blacks had to endure and still do in some areas of the world.

Answer 5

Boy have you said it right!!!! I think Rowling made a really bad mistake in "outing" Dumbledore. There truly was nothing in the books to hint of his sexuality anyway. Now if she'd said Hagrid was gay, I guess I could believe that since he is so emotional, and sensitive and wears an apron at times......its just so stupid and inappropriate in these books to be going after those kinds of topics anyway. I was sorry I even bothered with the books, by the time I'd read number 6. I'm not planning to finish the books, they just keep getting darker and darker. Anyway, I'm ranting now and I'll quit. She's got a billion dollars now, what more does she need? Good Grief!!!

Answer 6

I agree 100 percent with you.

The light of HP had dimmed and since she needed to put the spotlight back on her in order to push her own agenda, she decided to bring controversy to Harry Potter by making Dumbledore gay.

Once she got everybody talking about HP again, she comes out and says, "Oh, by the way. I'm giving away six rare books I've created and I'm auctioning off the 7th one for charity. They're called The Tales of Beedle the Bard."

Now once the die-hard fans BEG her to publish the book on a grand scale, she'll no doubt say, "OK, if you all insist. I'll do it for y'all." And then Cha-Ching!!!!!!

The hypocritical git!

Answer 7

I've read a lot of books, and Harry Potter is by far the greatest ever written. In no way is it over-rated, it has gained fans because it is simply brilliant and mind-blowing. You would know what I'm talking about if you actually read them, and you would agree. About J.K. Rowling declaring Dumbledore gay... Its one of the actors who plays Dumbledore in the movies that is in fact gay, I'm not sure if it is Michael Gambeon, or the first guy who died, and played in Sorcers stone.... Also I don't know exactly where you read that J.K. Rowling said that, the media tends to be quite misleading if you havn't noticed, unless you heard it straight from her mouth. Either way why you care? You're obviously not a fan.

Answer 8

She needed something to gain more readers, to make the novels more intriguing, like they're more then we think they are. I wondered this to, now, im not a crazy Potter fan but i did enjoy the series, however that more irked me.

Although, she did not up and claim he was gay, someone asked if had Dumbledore ever found love and she said she always fancied him gay. She really could have just said yes or no.

This is more money for her. It's rare that there are openly gay character in a CHILDREN'S series, if ever! It just proves that she's looking to move away from her status as a children's fiction author into a controversial, youth & adult writer of pro-homosexuality,

Answer 9

I think it was just horrible that she did that! She should have been up front about it so that the public could make a decision on whether to read her books or not....whether to allow their children to read the books or not.

I'm glad I stopped after the first book, even though I found it quite entertaining. It is not a subject matter that I chose to pursue, and I'm so glad that I made the right decision.

Answer 10

In case you haven't heard--which obviously you haven't--someone ASKED her during a conference about Dumbledore's love life--and she answered.

I highly doubt she is worried her fame will go away. She is one of the most successful writers in the world, and I praise her success--she was a welfare mom, for crying out loud.

Does it matter that it doesn't mention it in the books? NO! A writer who loves to write and loves her characters usually has a full life for them. And some of that life might not get used in books.

Would you be this upset if she said Dumbledore was black?

Chill out.