candy:”Did Dumbledore, who believed in the prevailing power of love, ever fall in love himself?”
she answered the question:yes he did,with a man.
What did you want her to say?
“yes,but i can’t say with who because that might offend some people”?
Melissa, you have NO working logical definition of bigotry. Anyone who disagrees with the absolute unproven normality of homosexuality is a “homophobe” (an invented word to stifle discussion). So, what are you? Are you a Judeo-Christianphobe, since you clearly disagree with tradional views of sexual mores. You’re just a relativist. That doesn’t make you open-minded. You’re just as prejudiced as anyone else about issues you care about.
Sue, there may very well be genetic factors that figure in anyone’s sexual orientation, but they certainly do not tell the whole story. There are social science studies that reveal gay men and lesbians who admit to having seemingly comfortable and enjoyable heterosexual experiences in their youth, but they are now adult homosexuals. Look it up. What happened to them? Or vice versa?
And the majority of Americans may be opposed to things like gay marriage, but the majority of people who work in the media, just like in your country, most certainly are not. I’m sure Americans are more conservative than the Dutch are, but i would also bet many of your fellow countrymen are more conservative than you think. ALL Western media in virtually every country is of a certain mind on this subject.
Candy, what’s so wrong about the fact that your child now knows what being gay means? Gay people are part of the society and it’s not like a six-year-old couldn’t understand what “Some men like men and some women like women” means. It will just show him/her that love doesn’t have one single form true for everyone.
It wasn’t necessary for us to know that piece of news about Dumbledore. I enjoyed the books and have enjoyed the films up to now. This could really mess things up.
A far better answer might have been, “I’m going to leave that question up in the air. I’ve noticed that sometimes when I answer questions about my characters’ back stories, it kills off a lot of great ideas my readers have had about them.”
Then gay people could keep shipping whomever they pleased, and I wouldn’t have been stuck with the burden of having to explain an advanced sex concept to my young son when it became a news item.
THAT would have been bravery, JKR… not waiting until all the money was in your pocket and slapping some people in the face.
Oh and Helen, in response to your comment to Candy. When the time comes for my children to know/learn about sexuality, I believe that is a parents decision to make. Kids mature at various ages and stages. This can be very confusing for some and mean nothing to others.
You said “Gay people are a art of our society”. Well you are right. So are killers, terrorists, and child predators! Do you think we should teach our children that they are normal too?
Yeah, strange thing the most educated and urban people think homosexuality is ok. And strange thing peasants in every country think black people are half-animals half-humans, women too and gay people killed the dinosaurs…
Really, strange thing. That doesn’t make you reflect ?
“The sexuality of Dumbledorf was NOT a necessity to reveal.”
just like it’s not a necessity to know hannah and neville got maried or what petunia wanted to say but didn’t or that harry and dudley send eachother christmas cards.
“A far better answer might have been, “I’m going to leave that question up in the air. I’ve noticed that sometimes when I answer questions about my characters’ back stories, it kills off a lot of great ideas my readers have had about them.””
Oh you mean the great idea about Dumbledore being straight that you obviously had and still want?
I think his sexual orientation has nothing to do with Dumbledores other character traits. He is still a powerful, wise and very intelligent man, kind and also a bit of a “puppet master”! ;) Sure, some people still think being gay is abnormal, such people also think that muggle borns are worthless? I was glad she made a role model like Albus gay!!! That´s what these books are about, being respectful towards all kinds of people, because we are all different! That is was makes live worth living, the diversity. Is the whole world about what other people doing in their bedrooms? g Sorry haters!
I have only one thing against Gay people. You have a right to choose your sexual partner no doubt. I am angered though that Gay people believe they are entitled to special treatments and privileges. WHY? But my biggest problem with them is this….WHY do you feel the need to tell people about your sex life? Just do it and go on with your life. You don’t see heterosexuals making demands because of their sexual preferences do you.
So Dumbledorf is Gay, big deal. But I agree it was not necessary to make that determination in anything that was made famous by children. Without the kids that went nuts over Harry Potter, Rowlings would be just another wannabe and should therefore respect these young readers.
TH, get over yourself, you are probably a teenage idiot who knows not how the disease is spread to start with. Thank you for replying to my comment, I love it!
It makes me wonder if there wasn’t pressure from outside groups to pose a major character in the works as abnormal, in this case Dumbledore as being homosexual. Or, did a marketing group conclude we could do more sales should we add a bit of perversion? I was a long-time fan. Read each work at least five times and have written many columns in defense and praise of them (I work in the media). But there appears to be a chasm that has been created for whatever reason that will prevent me from sharing the works with my five-year-old when he comes of age. Terrible, terrible shame to take the works from those of us who do not buy into the message of the morally perverted. But, it is understood it is not our work to control. We simply control our own actions as to whether or not we buy the products.
“You said “Gay people are a part of our society”. Well you are right. So are killers, terrorists, and child predators! Do you think we should teach our children that they are normal too?”
Right, because being gay is totally the same as being a killer, terrorist and child predator. Merlin.
After getting over the initial WTF factor of Dumbledore being gay (bah I never suspected it) I kind of makes sense looking back.
All I know is JK has set the tone for a lot of new fanfics (I am shuddering just thinking about how half the badly written ones will turn out) not to mention opened a big assed can of worms as far as coughMallorycough some people goes.
Oh well someone in the books was bound to be gay. Hehe totaly going to do some fan art of Dumbledore and gay pride.