The Outing of Dumbledore

Sexual identity has become a more complex and intriguing concept. Even in children's books, or at least children's books that become more mature, we find it important to understand the sexual dynamics of a character.

Word is out that Albus Dumbledore, the late headmaster of Hogwarts (He dies in volume 6) was gay. The object of his attraction was his arch-nemesis -- Gellert Grindlewald -- a sort of precursor to Voldemort. Grindlewald had been his closest friend and then an enemy he was forced to defeat.

I'm pretty dense so I didn't recognize the sexual tension in the books, but apparently other had and they'd speculated, so J.K. Rowling chose to make the revelation.

So, what do we do with the news? I expect conservative Christians who already see it as a devilish series in support of witchcraft will see this as further proof of its Satanic nature. Others will be confused and wonder about his time spent with young boys. Still others perhaps will see this as an opportunity to celebrate tolerance! After all, part of the series purpose seems to have been just that. It espouses a philosophy of respect of those who are different -- Mudbloods, Muggles, Purebloods, etc.

John Cloud, writing in Time, calls for Dumbledore to go back into the proverbial closet and wonders how beneficial his character is for the gay community.

But as far as we know, Dumbledore had not a single fully realized romance in 115 years of life. That's pathetic, and a little creepy. It's also a throwback to an era of pop culture when the only gay characters were those who committed suicide or were murdered. As Vito Russo's The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies (1981) points out, in film after film of the mid-century—Rebel Without a Cause; Rebecca; Suddenly, Last Summer—the gay characters must pay for their existence with death. Like a lisping weakling, Dumbledore is a painfully selfless, celibate, dead gay man, so forgive me if I don't see Rowling's revelation as great progress.

There is some truth to what Cloud has to say. So in the end I'm still not sure what to make of the revelation -- in part because I'm not sure how it fills out Dumbledore's character. But even if it's not the perfect characterization, if it offers the opportunity to empower young people who are gay and lesbian to see themselves as people of value. If it leads others to embrace a principle of respect, then this could have good benefits.

I'm wondering what you think?