As so many gay people have said, a cowardly thing to reveal only after all of the books have been published.
For me personally – a totally, unnecessary and totally innappropriate thing to say.
Oh well, this is all too distracting for me at this late of an hour. I’ll end by asking DracoDadeatheater just what’s so wrong with people “who believe that their belief is the only correct way and that anyone that believes differently are just plain wrong”? I mean, the whole idea of a democracy is so that we could debate the issues with words and not guns, right? Since when did having an opinion and standing up for it and debating its merits go out of fashion? For instance, here are 4 beliefs that form the very basis of why I get out of bed in the morning, and why I treat people the way I do, and why I have the hope that I have:
I believe I was created as was all people by a creative being I believe we were made to love that being but as such, we had to be given the free choice to love or not love and we chose the later. I believe that creator who still wished to relate with us convicted rebels reveiled Himself to us in the form of a servant. A man. I think that man lived a life we should have lived and died a death we should have died to pay a price that we couldn’t pay for our rebellion. All for the beautiful purpose of reuniting us back with our creator, what we were originally created for.
... And most of us can’t get past the point of admitting that we rebel against our creator. In other words: that we all do things wrong, very wrong – not just in the eyes of other people, but that our fundamental problem is that we personally offend the living God.
Fight for your beliefs. Not out of self-righteousness but because… well, what else do you have if you don’t have your beliefs and convictions?
(by the way, if you love Harry’s character you’ll love Christ. Book 7 is more a book of Christology than the stinking Lion, Witch, and Wordrobe. JKR seems to suggest so in past interviews. Check out Connie Neal for more info…)
Okay, I lied. One more post in response to markie27:
steve [...] all i can feel from your words are hate (hate is a strong word but it is hate nonetheless)... under the guise of “concern” and “love” and “what’s best for them”….
please… mr. steve.. get off your moral high horse… the horse is tired and misused….
Markie, I’m sorry you feel that way. You just can’t believe and accept that someone may sincerely think differently than you on a serious moral issue. I’m sorry to say that it’s just pure, undeserved prejudice and ignorance on your part. What else can one do?
Sincerely,
Steve
Albus Dumbledore, in the first couple of books, has always appeared to me as the “wise man”, a spiritus mentor to Harry. Nothing could be further away than speculating on whom he may be sexually attracted to. Or have been. And even in the last book, where more details about his life are revealed, even the whole Gellert Grindelwald thing. It never occured to me to give it any sexual connotations. Just two young men with wild-flying, over-the-top plans. Does it add to the story that young Albus fancied to stick some part of his body into Gellert? No.
If JKR wanted Albus to be gay, she should have described him as gay. Or at least give more or less obvious clues that he is. This way, Albus Dumbledore will always remain the Albus Dumbledore which formed in my fantasy. Inspired by JKRs books. He will never turn gay. It doesn’t add to the character. It is just a tribute to the current political correctness issues that someone has to be gay.
Not necessarily. I love Harry as a character, but I’m not Christian, and I don’t. That’s a sterotype.
Another sterotype is that all gay men are feminine and know everything about fashion. That’s not true. There are a lot of gay men out there that can be just as masculine as any straight man, and no nothing about fashion. Jus tlike there are a lot of straight girl’s out there who don’t care about hair, or clothes, or nails.
“But I don’t go around saying that you hate people or are intolerant of them because of what homosexuality is going to do to them, which I could do, but think that would be an illegitimate and uncharitable move on my part.”
posted by steve
you just did mr. steve… people do read between the lines… you are intolerant of them (homesexuals, people living out of wedlock)... your eloquence connot hide it….
“Are you really saying that it is impossible to love someone with whom you disagree strongly?”
yes…. is it impossible… because you can never call that love! (not unless your Jesus – which we are obviously not)
i just strongly disagree that the Cathlic church can love gay men & women and yet call their acts evil… it’s hypocrisy.
Hi again, Ann -
Okay, this is my last post, and then I’m hitting the sack. Then you guys can abuse me behind my back without retaliation, if you so choose.
So in your post about how you hope that your unmarried couple relatives who live together will get married is just you “looking out” for their best interests. But honestly, some people are uncomfortable with marriage but are in loving and devoted relationships nonetheless.
Ann, look: you and I have serious disagreements about certain questions of fact, specifically over the nature and significance of human sexuality. I think it’s a huge deal when people have sex and don’t commit their lives to one another. I didn’t always feel that way, but have come to that opinion through making mistakes of my own and reading and thinking about the subject a good deal. Maybe we can catch up tomorrow and I can share some specifics. What I have an issue with is that people on your side of the issue (maybe you, I don’t know) just assume that you’re correct about these issues, largely without discussion, and on the basis of that assumption declare others misguided, unthinking, homophobic, bigoted, or intolerant.
continued from above…
In that sense, are you hoping that your gay friends will “turn straight” since you believe that being gay is a negative part of their lives? Because that sounds like you’re hoping they will become something they’re not, which is not something I would wish for anyone that I cared about. It just seems a little backhanded to say that you genuinely like and care about your gay friends, but imply that you hoped they weren’t gay because you think that would be better for them.
Same deal here regarding becoming something they’re not – we disagree on that (and, like it or not, there is disagreement on this point in the gay community!). My suggestion would be that at our core, we as humans are all heterosexuals by nature, and I think there are some pretty strong moral arguments for that, which reasonable people can see and agree on. Those don’t get a lot of press, so I’m not surprised that you haven’t heard them. In any case, sometimes we are conflicted because of our physical makeup, or our upbringing, or events in our lives. That’s true of everyone on various issues, even outside of sexuality, and I think its true in the case of homosexuality. So people end up thinking, desiring, and acting in ways that are contrary to their deeper nature. So yes, I’d like to see people give up homosexuality and embrace heterosexual marriage as a profound source of happiness in their lives, but I’m not naive in thinking that it’s like turning on a light switch. It will be a real struggle for some, and in those cases, we need to put our arms around people and help them. Again, that’s true with a myriad number of other situations in which people do things they shouldn’t do. You may not like the comparison with alcoholism, but I think it’s a decent one. I can sincerely hope that a person will give up the bottle even though it has become a defining force in their lives, because at bottom I think they deserve better. I don’t think human beings were intended to be slaves of alcohol or drugs, and I don’t think they were intended to be slaves of sexual vices, either. This depends on one’s view of sex, of course, and like I said, I could be wrong. Could you be wrong about your view?
Geez, with the way you are all going on I’m wondering if this is the kind of reaction Joss Whedon got when he choose to make Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer a lesbian. That survived and thrived, and the books will probably survive to.
“You still, I think, haven’t squarely faced my question about negatively labeling people without understanding why they believe what they do. When you proceed to do so from ignorance and broadbrush people like you’ve shown in this forum, that sure seems to fit the definition of bigotry.”
you negatively called and labelled me ignorant when you don’t know me… you don’t understand why i believe what i said or what i did… you proceeded in calling me ignorant and prejudiced… are you eating your own words now?
Strut95 I absolutely agree with everything you have written…too bad they are deleting your posts rather quickly…you might want to use a different e-mail address. =) Again you are insightful where others are just “not getting it”.
So yes, I’d like to see people give up homosexuality and embrace heterosexual marriage as a profound source of happiness in their lives, but I’m not naive in thinking that it’s like turning on a light switch. It will be a real struggle for some, and in those cases, we need to put our arms around people and help them. Again, that’s true with a myriad number of other situations in which people do things they shouldn’t do
oh my GOD!!!!!!!! are you a member of an ex-gay group?! i really disagree with your views and i’m sorry that i responded to your posts… this wwould be the last time i would respond… good luck ann and melissa and kharlo with this guy… Geesh!!!! the comments above are so muddled with ignorance and i just have to laugh!!!!! i am so sorry… geesh! why did i ever read his posts!!!!
putting arms around them and help them?!?! Jesus!!! that’s a winner!!!! aaghh…. good luck ann and melissa and kharlo.. i’m done with this guy.
To the rude Commenters
I don’t understand all these, “JKR should’ve turned him a little more gay in the books,” comments. What exactly are you aiming for? Homosexuality isn’t a personality trait.
As for the subtle stereotyping that you people are suggesting—what? You want Dumbledore to talk about fashion, wiggle his hips and say outloud that he remembers a cute boy in his age and the endearing relationship he had together? It’s a STEREOTYPE. Gay people are the same as Het people. They do the same jobs, they have the same morals, and they have the same feelings. What makes you think Dumbledore would not be himself if he were gay? Are you suggesting that only straight people can be heroes?
What kind of nonsense is this anyway? We have never cared about Dumbledore’s love life in this book simply because it wasn’t essential to the plot. Now that the plot’s over and done, and since JKR was ASKED the question, telling people that he loved someone isn’t a big deal. Who or what gender that person was isn’t a big deal either. It is only us crazy fans who care about every single detail that happens in the Potterverse, which is exactly what she has generously given us. It’s just a question. How can this minute detail detract you from who Dumbledore is? Suddenly Dumbledore isn’t man enough to fit the demeaning sexist symbols in our society? I am infuriated at the immaturity, intolerance and outright disrespect people have shown towards Jo. We demanded to know everything of Harry Potter, even more than the book provided, and now you throw it right back at her.
I am so ashamed of our fanbase right now. I thought we all connected on the same level—we fell in love with Harry Potter, a book that emphasizes TOLERANCE, accepting DIFFERENCES, and portrays a world that seems real enough for us to imagine. Now we’re finally going to break up the fanbase because some people are going to sit on their high thrones and look down upon people? I’m sure not only JK was hurt by these discriminating remarks, but many slash fans as well.
I’m only glad that Harry Potter is over, and I might not have to put up with you ignorant people.
That was my comment. I was responding to Ann and Melissa…