J.K. Rowling’s publisher is face palming. Conservative christian mothers are rallying for the next book burning celebration. Children and parents around the world are shocked and awed. Some fantasy-loving, older men dedicated to cosplay at conventions are throwing out their garb right about now.
Dumbledore, the beloved mentor and guide to famed Harry Potter is gay. Rowling outed Albus last night at a reading when she was asked about Dumbledore’s love life during a Q&A. While I can argue that it was probably best for her own wallet and book sales that she waited until she finished the series, the shock is there none-the-less.
Personally, I couldn’t care if characters are purple, white, black, yellow, gay, straight…etc. Yet, some people were hungry to rid their school libraries of this book, and this only adds fuel to the proverbial book burning fires. When the book was originally released, there was a call to arms by some religious fanatics claiming that the most popular children’s series was promoting witchcraft. I actually wonder how many mothers are now on alert, desperately trying to keep this recent fact from reaching their children to stave off the questions, “What does ‘gay’ mean, mommy?”
While I don’t think this will affect future book sales for Rowling, because honestly I think the same people who wouldn’t buy the book due to its magical overtones are the same people who discriminate against the gay and lesbian community; I do think some mother’s will think twice about giving their younger children the books until they understand that particular aspect of social interaction.
I for one, won’t take the books away from my kids on this revelation. If anything, I’m kinda happy Dumbledore’s ‘out of the pensive’, so to speak. It brings even more complexity to his character.
