Dumbledore Gay

sillyspook13

sillyspook13

Well-Known Member
JimboJones123 said:
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.
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That line made me lol!:ROFLOL:
 
sbkline

sbkline

Well-Known Member
Pongo said:
If an author write about something like suicide or murder does that mean they approve of either? Drugs? Rape?

The whole creative process is about making something up -- not necessarily what you believe, just what comes out.
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If someone writes about drugs, murder, suicide or rape, it's generally not portrayed as something that one should be doing. It's portrayed as something that brings negative consequences to the one doing it and great harm, emotionally or physically, to those around him. So writing about those things usually involves conveying to the reader that these are things that are to be avoided.

There may be an extent to which you are correct about the creative process just being about making something up, but for the most part, I believe it is a medium for conveying a moral message. Look at what a powerful tool television is and has been for social change. Look back in the 50's and 60's during the racial tensions of those days. Television did its part in trying to sway public opinion in favor of racial equality. Black people were increasingly portrayed as competent, intelligent people who would gain the respect of the other characters around them. Now, naturally, it had to start out a little more subtle and as the years progressed, the producers would become more and more bold in the way they portrayed black characters. Back in the 60's it was probably a little too early to have a show centered around a black character, but you would see black characters in minor roles portrayed in a positive light. And then as you got into the 70's, we start seeing shows centered around black families, such as "The Jeffersons" and "Good times", and then shows such as "The Cosby Show" in the 80's. It was all part of trying to sway public opinion away from racism and towards racial equality by making sure to portray black characters in a certain way. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, mind you. Just that the people creating these shows had a very definite goal in mind, which was to influence public opinion in a certain direction. The printed word as well as television, are both very strong tools to use to try to promote a particular moral lesson.

Is it possible that Rowling made this character gay for some other reason? Sure, I don't know her thought process. But given today's climate in regards to sexual orientation, I think one would be naive to see a gay character and not suspect that the author is trying to make a statement for or against homosexuality. For example, years ago, anytime a gay character was portrayed on a show, he was the feminine, flamboyant, weirdo type, which was reflective of the general consensus at the time that homosexuality is abnormal and perverse. However, nowdays, when you see a gay character on TV, they are increasingly being portrayed as just the same as anyone else, and accepted by the other characters around them. Clearly, in such portrayals, the writer of the show is trying to convey a moral message that homosexuality should be accepted and considered normal. And since homosexuality is a current hot-button topic, with each side battling the other in the court of public opinion, I have major doubts on whether someone would bring out a gay character WITHOUT intending to make a statement for or against this hotly debated topic.
 
Shere_Khan

Shere_Khan

Well-Known Member
This reminds me of the Potter Puppet Pals videos in which for some reason the Dumbledore puppet always entered the scene with no clothes on. He's a free spirit for sure!
 
Wilt Dasney

Wilt Dasney

Well-Known Member
sbkline said:
However, nowdays, when you see a gay character on TV, they are increasingly being portrayed as just the same as anyone else, and accepted by the other characters around them. Clearly, in such portrayals, the writer of the show is trying to convey a moral message that homosexuality should be accepted and considered normal.
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Or maybe it's an attempt to portray society more realistically. If every gay character on TV is a "flamboyant weirdo," to coin some of your terms, that's no more realistic than portraying blacks as the goofy minstrel types they were portrayed as for so long. This is true irrespective of your feelings about the morality of the characters.

I don't see why putting aside stereotypes for a more nuanced portrayal of gays/blacks/southerners/you name it has to have a moral component attached to it, aside from the moral of "people aren't cartoon characters."
 
Wilt Dasney

Wilt Dasney

Well-Known Member
Shere_Khan said:
This reminds me of the Potter Puppet Pals videos in which for some reason the Dumbledore puppet always entered the scene with no clothes on. He's a free spirit for sure!
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My favorite Dumbledore moment from Potter Puppet Pals:

Dumbie: Voldemort is attacking Hogwarts!!

Kids: OH no!! What do we do?!?

Dumbie: Iiiiiii dunno! *shrugs and runs off*
 
palmage

palmage

Member
Wilt Dasney said:
I don't see why putting aside stereotypes for a more nuanced portrayal of gays/blacks/southerners/you name it has to have a moral component attached to it, aside from the moral of "people aren't cartoon characters."
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Don't lump southerners in this, except maybe Bama :)
 
sbkline

sbkline

Well-Known Member
Wilt Dasney said:
Or maybe it's an attempt to portray society more realistically. If every gay character on TV is a "flamboyant weirdo," to coin some of your terms, that's no more realistic than portraying blacks as the goofy minstrel types they were portrayed as for so long. This is true irrespective of your feelings about the morality of the characters.

I don't see why putting aside stereotypes for a more nuanced portrayal of gays/blacks/southerners/you name it has to have a moral component attached to it, aside from the moral of "people aren't cartoon characters."
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You make a valid point.

However, I still think that there is usually a moral message attached, and I'll try to explain it differently this time.

Let's say you have a show, like the soap opera I used to watch "As the World Turns". They bring out Luke as a gay character and he suffers rejection and ridicule, but he's portrayed as the victim and those that ridicule him are portrayed as jerks. Everyone around Luke accepts his orientation and last I saw, he now had a boyfriend. It is clear to me, based on how they portray him and the way they portray those who ridicule him, that they are attempting to endorse homosexuality.

On the other hand, say you turn on the Christian station and there is a gay character on a show. And this character encounters an evangelist and he goes to the altar at church and gets born again and forsakes his homosexual ways and gets married and the show ends with him happily married and a baby on the way. In this case, it would be clear that the intent of the show is to portary that homosexuality is bad and that a person can forsake homosexuality and be changed.

It's all in how you portray the character and how the story ends.
 
Wilt Dasney

Wilt Dasney

Well-Known Member
sbkline said:
It's all in how you portray the character and how the story ends.
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We can agree here. And in Dumbledore's case, the portrayal of his sexuality was completely nonexistent. There was no "acceptance" or lack thereof to consider from supporting characters, because to the best of our knowledge, no one in the fictional universe knew about it.

Which brings me back to my original point that if there is a moral being portrayed here, it is an exceedingly minimal one. :)
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
sbkline said:
For example, years ago, anytime a gay character was portrayed on a show, he was the feminine, flamboyant, weirdo type, which was reflective of the general consensus at the time that homosexuality is abnormal and perverse. However, nowdays, when you see a gay character on TV, they are increasingly being portrayed as just the same as anyone else, and accepted by the other characters around them. Clearly, in such portrayals, the writer of the show is trying to convey a moral message that homosexuality should be accepted and considered normal. And since homosexuality is a current hot-button topic, with each side battling the other in the court of public opinion, I have major doubts on whether someone would bring out a gay character WITHOUT intending to make a statement for or against this hotly debated topic.
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You forgot the real reason...accuracy. I know quite a few gay men and women and none are even close to the stereotype.
 
Shere_Khan

Shere_Khan

Well-Known Member
lilclerk said:
haha What better way to keep out of a discussion on morals than to talk about naked singing puppets?
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You know it!

I'm just one of those people who doesn't really care about her deep meaning for announcing Dumbledore is gay. It doesn't outright say it in the books, and until it does I think of him as a jolly old lad!
Whether he is gay or not doesn't bother me in the slightest.

With that said.....


DUMBLEDORE!!!!!!! (Naked)
 

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