Dumbledore outed as gay

Dragonrat · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 9:43 am Post subject: Dumbledore outed as gay

Am I the only one who finds this distasteful? Nothing to do with homosexuality; I couldn't give a fig whether he was or not, but surely it's just a publicity stunt? The last book is out of the news now, there are no more installments to make people keep the series in mind, so she just blurts out a totally unhinted-of bit of news about one of the main characters. If he was gay, why wasn't that written in the series? It's like (assuming she'd thought of this when she was writing and not just made it up off the top of her head) she was ashamed of it, but now that it can't affect her sales she's wiling to finally admit it. I mean, she already had the religious 'Harry Potter is Satan' thing against her; who knows how many sales she would have lost among the anti-gay brigade? Bah!

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FluffyBuffyWatwat · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 9:56 am Post subject:

What's this?
I seem to have missed this, but I have to say it does sound a bit distasteful.
I mean it puts an entirely different slant on his relationship with Harry, and you know damn well how some sick people are going to read into that.
And most importantly of all, what the *parsnip* does is matter anyway?
Does it have any baring on the books?
What's the bloody point?
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Dragonrat · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 10:19 am Post subject:

Platinum · Rattie Slaves Joined: 10 Sep 2007 Posts: 37

According to Rowling, the script for film 6 wanted to intro a love interest for Dumbledore, so she had to set David Yates straight. With such a big announcement, I would have told my fans myself as well, rather than wait for him to go and do it himself...

FluffyBuffyWatwat · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 12:46 pm Post subject:

It's not neccessary.
I'm sorry, but this has really angered me.
It's a children's book and sexuality shouldn't feature at all.
I find the comment about how it should have been made more explicit in the books horrifying.
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Platinum · Rattie Slaves Joined: 10 Sep 2007 Posts: 37

*Shrug*

Spose it depends on how you wish to bring up your children. My kids know what gay is, even at 7 and 8. I'd rather they grew up knowing of other people's life views. They certainly aren't disturbed by the idea of people being gay at all and I'd much rather they weren't. Aaron asked me straight out why Dumbledore never had a boyfriend after he finished the last book, so he isn't worried about it. Didn't half annoy my mother, she's homophobic

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FluffyBuffyWatwat · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 1:33 pm Post subject:

No, it's not a case of education, I'm not homophobic, I just don't believe sexuality is an issue, whether you like boys, girls or bloody goats.
It's has no bearing on the story, it brings nothing new, and what the hell are people do giving bloody Dumbledore love interests in the sixth film.
Harry is a teenager, he has hormones you expect that, Dumbledore should really be more concerned with saving the frigging world than copping a feel with Filch!!!!!!!!!
You say it was blatantly obvious, I didn't even spare it a thought, 'coz it simply isn't relevant to the books.
If she had written a book about a homophobic serial killer I can see where it would have some bearing, it's just pointless.
I'm not homophobic, I just don't see the need for anyone to have to state what their orientation is. It doesn't matter.
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Sare · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 5:56 pm Post subject:

I was quite surprised at her revelation of Dumbledore ... not because of his sexual orientation but because i didn't see any relevance except for it being a cheap publicity stunt
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Linzi · Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 8:27 am Post subject:

I have to say I agree that a) it felt like a cheap publicity stunt b) it's not relevant to the story and c) the comment about it being more explicit is definitely disturbing.

TBH I don't think sex/sexuality has a place in children's books at all (and I know some of you aren't going to agree with that). Kids don't need to know about sex that young. Maybe if we kept 'em innocent for longer we wouldn't have such horrendously high rates of teenage pregnancy.
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Leisali0203 · Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 11:24 pm Post subject:

Linzi · Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 7:58 am Post subject:

FluffyBuffyWatwat · Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:21 am Post subject:

I personally think children should be allowed to stay innocent for as long as possible, I don't think they need to know about hetrosexual sex, let only homosexual sex until they're at least in double figures.
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Linzi · Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:25 am Post subject:

JaneAustensRats · Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 10:40 pm Post subject:

I agree, it was a publicity stunt and why bring it up? it has no revalance to the plot really,

and kids know far too much about sex. its awful at my school. they have no childhood now it seems.

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Platinum · Rattie Slaves Joined: 10 Sep 2007 Posts: 37

Dragonrat · Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:15 pm Post subject:

Totally lost me on the capitalised bit, but I think you've taken what we've said the wrong way. It's not that he was/wasn't gay. It's that it's totally irrelevant now considering that the books are done and dusted and the only 'benefit' of her saying this now (the same as if she's said he'd been having a secret relationship with Professor McGonnagal) is to yank the spotlight back onto the books/films and get a few extra pennies. If it's relevant, why isn't it in the books?
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chris · Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:30 pm Post subject:

I totally agree with what Plat has said, but will put it simply...why the *** does it matter that he's "gay" or homosexual to use the proper word which all of you seen to shudder when you say it.

If he had been having a secret relationship as Leigh said...there would have been no posts like these...just a little smile & people saying "isn't it nice he did have a girlfiend after all".

It does not make a child want to be a homosexual just learning about them, in fact it can help if a child knows some people have different feelings than "norm". My best friend was a transexual, who by the age of 4 yrs old new he had been born in the wrong body & wanted to "cut it off". she suffered years of heartache because no one told her it wasn't her fault she was as she was, she was spat at by a 6year old child because of parents so narrow minded they taught their child to spit at a person who to them was "strange".
My friend died after having the operation which physically made her a woman, a life time desire which she didn't live to enjoy....why you ask?....because of narrow minded people who can't accept people are different & think mentioning you are homosexual or transexual you are a bad person.

chris xx
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FluffyBuffyWatwat · Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:49 pm Post subject:

Okay, I'm a little bit annoyed and a little bit confused.
I don't believe anyone here has expressed any sort of homophobic attitude.
I am not in the least bit homophobic, several of my closest friends are homosexual, not a shudder in sight there you notice, and I don't think of them as the slightest bit different to any of my other friends. It simply doesn't matter to me.
I think quite honestly, and understandably Chris, your opinion has been coloured by personal tragedy, but nobody here has been in the slightest narrow minded or offensive.
The point that all of us have made is that there is absolutely no point, whatsoever to the revelation that Dumbledore is gay.
The books are finished, the character is dead, there would be as much point in suddenly revealing that Hermione was allergic to hamsters.
It has no bearing on the story.
If J.K Rowling felt it to be of such monumental importance why did she not include it in the books from the start?
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solitaire · Team Rat Chat Joined: 11 Sep 2007 Posts: 330

i'm not a fan, but the sexuality of characters in books which (as far as i know) contain no sex, seems rather irrelevant. especially as the series is concluded and these characters will not be revisited.

if the series was ongoing, and if it did contain sex, the sexuality of the characters might be of interest (in terms of future plots), but here? whats the point?

it could possibly be that she's going to revisit these characters in a future book or series aimed at her adult fans, but surely a writer would want the content to be a surprise?

Linzi · Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 8:12 am Post subject:

I think you read our posts the wrong way, Chris.

Not one of us said that we had anything against homosexuals, or that it was wrong for Dumbledore to be gay, just that it wasn't relevant to the story (and in what I said that I didn't think sex was relevant to the story at all).

Ok, so the discussion about children knowing about sex was a slight aside (although I stand by what I said). Plat, I can understand you telling your children that people of the same sex can fall in love (especially given the family circumstances), but I wasn't talking about falling in love, I meant knowing the 'mechanics', as it were. Fair enough so it didn't stop you doing what you did, but that doesn't mean that's the case for everyone. Of course there will always be some girls who fall pregnant very young, but having earlier sex ed certainly hasn't stopped the problem.

Mind you I think the media are at fault on that too, as there's far too much gratuitous sex on TV anyway, and with kids staying up far later than they used to and more (but not all) parents not seeming to care what they watch, and the pressure they are under to 'grow up', is it any wonder we have so much teenage pregnancy.

But that's just my opinion.
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FluffyBuffyWatwat · Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 8:40 am Post subject:

I'm going to lock this now, 'coz I think this discussion has reached the end of it's course.
If anyone would like to open up a new thread discussing the points raised in this thread in the big issues forum, then please feel free to do so.
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