Time For a Harry Potter Geek-Out

(Posted by Nick, '11)

OK PEOPLE!

So I'm sooooo fired up right now about HARRY POTTER because they just released the new trailer for the sixth movie today and it looks AMAZING.  Like, as good or better than the 4th one!  Which was my fave!  Also, the sixth book is my fave in the series, so hopefully the movie will live up to my expectations. =)

But what does this have to do with LGBTQ issues??  Lucky for me, Dumbledore is gay!  According to J.K. Rowling that is.  So what does that mean in terms of how we should read Dumbledore from now on when we see the movies or re-read the books?  In my opinion, our view of Dumbledore shouldn't change at all.  His sexuality doesn't play a role in the books - Rowling "outing" Dumbledore is an extratextual occurrence that has no relation to the textual world of the novels.  Dumbledore is a mentor to Harry throughout the series, and there are no scenes where he's suddenly attracted to, say, Hagrid.  It just doesn't happen.

What I do think needs to be taken into account is Rowling's decision that Dumbledore was gay in the first place.  Did she figure this out before or after she wrote the books?  The little we know about Dumbledore's personal life has nothing to do with romance, so she could say anything about it once the series was over.  Regardless, it is saying something when the most powerful and well-known author EVER decides that the mentor to her title character, who also happens to be the most powerful and well-respected wizard in the series, is gay.  What it says is that a person's sexuality, when it comes down to it, is that it isn't as big of a deal as people make it.  That we shouldn't discriminate against people because of who they love, but rather because of the decisions they make in their lives - the acts they do, good or bad.

It's good to know that the producers of the next movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, have taken this stance as well (from BBC NEWS):

"He's a wonderful character, Dumbledore - graceful, wise, powerful, quirky, terrific sense of humour, loves knitting.  There's a jumble of things in there and his sexuality is just another thing."

Filming on the sixth film in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, began in September [2007], with Yates again at the helm.  But he said not to expect any changes to the way Dumbledore is portrayed on film.

"Michael Gambon hasn't changed his approach.  A person's sexuality is just one part of who they are, and so it hasn't really shifted where we're taking him."

Wanna see the trailer?  Bask in the awesomeness that is Harry Potter!