http://news.yahoo.com/s/a...rry_potter

NEW YORK - 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.
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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.

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."

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

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. And explicit scenes with Dumbledore already have appeared in fan fiction.

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.


The religious right are already gathering wood for the book burning.

Wow, I never once picked up on that. Cool. But at the religious groups.

If this was the case then she should have had the guts to out him in the book.

lovemachine said:

just one more thing 2 add 2 my list of things i missed while reading those books




Dumbledore prequel maybe

lovemachine said:

The book was controversial enough just being about witchcraft. Can you imagine adding homosexuality to it all?

And there'd be a whole debate on whether kids should be reading it blah blah blah.

Plus, people would have viewed the book differently, not mentioning it gave people a chance to read it without prejudice.

Oh, suck on my prolonged argument for tolerance

HamsterHuey said:

I love you

Natisse said:

Of course you do.

I just read that it's pretty cool...now she needs to come out....

purplesweat said:

It was controversial in Bible Belt Crazytown American for containing witchcraft and nowhere else.

Jesus.

benyamin said:

You should have seen the protests against it here in Australia..

purplesweat said:

Really?! Wow. Here a couple of closeted vicars in small vilages piped up, and then were put down.

I suspected as much.
I remember one time,
back when I was studying at Hogwarts,
I saw a prefect, who had just stepped out of the "head"master's office,
wave a wand at his own butt & incant the word "reparo.....".

I know she supposedly is working on a Potter-related product to flesh out the characters' biographies, but this event is a bit suspect to me.

This looks like a shrewd business tactic. At appearances, mention tidbits that either weren't evident or were hinted at in books, to get more people to go out and buy her products.

"Harry Potter had Republican leanings and a green thumb. Buy all the books, to find the clues..."
[Edited 10/20/07 15:03pm]

benyamin said:

Yeah, the newspapers were full of debates about whether it should be banned or not, some schools DID ban it, it was everywhere. I'm pretty sure it was big overseas too. Basically any religious groups that could get angry over it, did.

purplesweat said:

really? where... and who?

Natisse said:

I said in the post above you...

Dayum Crockett, classic post.

So is Tinky Winky

wlcm2thdwn said:

lazycrockett said:

I love that she did this. Dumbledore is not only a major "moral" character in the movies, he's becomes the obvious "Oracle" in 6 and 7.

3 snaps in z formation.

Imago said:

Imago said:

Have you started over yet, btw?

lol this is the most stupid thing ever, why should it really matter, if anything its just a publicity stunt so she can get more people to go out and get the books, or to make people re read them again so she can get even more cash!

And really should it matter? Its a fiction book ffs! Its not like its real or anything!

CarrieMpls said:

Not yet. I have 3 books now I need to finish before starting on them.

I'm going to start with Book 3 as I didn't care for 1 and 2 in the movies as much as I did 3. I also don't relate well with young children. By book 3, I started sympathizing with them more.


I'm also consider starting either Le Miserable or the Atlas Shrugged/etc novels.

Imago said:

I'm going to send you books one and two. I'm adament about this. If you're going to do it, you should do it right! ( ) They're much shorter than the later ones and you'll breeze through them in a day or two.

CarrieMpls said:

u really need 2 read books one and two