Today I guest blogged at Gay YA:
While the Harry Potter series was still being released, I kept crossing my fingers one of the kids would turn out to be gay.
It didn’t seem that far-fetched an idea. After all, the series was otherwise doing a great job of representing diverse characters.
But more importantly, when I was reading the books for the first time, I was in my early 20s, and I was still getting used to the idea that this whole being-gay thing might indeed be a lifelong deal. I was eagerly looking around for representations of people like me. Seeing gay characters and gay celebrities made me feel normal. It made me feel like someone had noticed I was there. …
If J.K. Rowling had outed Dumbledore in the books themselves instead of doing it after the fact:
- It would’ve made Deathly Hallows a stronger book, because readers would have had better context for understanding Dumbledore’s relationship with Grindelwald.
- Readers of the book ― kids and adults alike, gay and straight alike ― would’ve seen a major gay character in the biggest book series of all time.
When people talk about gay visibility? This is what they’re talking about.
May 12, 2011 @ 16:09:45
On one level, I can see why J.K. Rowling didn’t want to out Dumbledore during the books. The firestorm it would have created would have taken away attention from the book itself. But that said, an author has an obligation to the truth… and hiding that truth (or in this case, delaying it) on purpose doesn’t do a book justice either.
May 12, 2011 @ 21:36:33
Yeah, I’m not inclined to pass judgement either way — I’m sure it was a difficult decision. But I do wish there had been some way of working it into the text…
Jan 15, 2012 @ 17:23:09
I completely agree with you. My full thoughts on the subject here: http://www.writingsofryu.com/2011/10/thedartmouthcom-prof-unsurprised-by-gay.html