Part of the charm of the Harry Potter series is its penchant for unexpected twists and turns.
Fans have lost many hours of sleep over the years reading Harry-style — flashlight under the sheets — dying for the next unexpected revelation.
But of all the tricks up each wizard’s sleeve throughout the Potter oeuvre, the most shocking revelation of J.K. Rowling’s series was completely extra textual.
Dumbledore is gay.
Rather than revealing the news of the headmaster’s homosexuality in the novels, Rowling instead walked the wizard out of the closet during a Q&A session at Carnegie Hall in New York City three years ago.
Many praised her for championing gay rights. Many felt Rowling was speaking for those whose voices are muffled by hatred and bigotry, like Dumbledore fought for the rights of werewolves, giants, centaurs and alternative marriage.
Others tacked up Dumbledore’s homosexuality as another focal point of the crusade against the paganism of the Potter series.
But despite all the shock, it’s not like there weren’t clues that Dumbledore preferred the warlock’s wand to the witch’s britches.
For example, Rita Skeeter’s “The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore” alludes to Dumbledore having an “unnatural interest” in young Harry.
In addition, Dumbledore has a “flaming” pet, wears “high-heeled boots” and a “flamboyantly cut suit of plum velvet,” and expresses deeply intimate feelings throughout the series for Grindelwald, whose friendship was lost when Grindelwald “conjured a white handkerchief from the end of his wand,” a double entendre for those thinking in such terms.
And if that’s not proof enough, just take the Shakespearean route and consider what’s in a name.
Dumbledore’s name breaks down to “Rod Me Lubed” and “Do Elder Bum,” while the addition of his christened name lends itself to the unbeatable “Male bods rule bud.”
But questionable euphemisms aside, the fact remains that Dumbledore is gay, at least in the eye of his creator.
One could argue, as Edward Rothstein of The New York Times has done, that the books don’t make his homosexuality necessary. Without the author’s statements, the argument goes, Dumbledore’s sexuality likely would not have ever been questioned as it is really a non-issue thematically and narratively.
Yet the very mind that created Dumbledore crafted him in the mold of a homosexual, and Rowling has said many of his actions, motivations and traits were rooted in her conscious development of a gay character.
It is on this issue that Rowling most closely connects Hogwarts to the real world.
All it takes is a glance over the plethora of Potter fansites and forums to see the impact of one character’s sexuality. And though the revelation was three years ago, it’s still a relevant issue, especially in light of the recent “My Son is Gay” blog explosion this past Halloween when a mother posted a blog about her son’s decision to dress as Daphne from Scooby Doo.
The story brought up the issues of gay rights in an election season that featured, for the first time in years, no amendments on any state ballot concerning gay rights issues.
Even if you aren’t familiar with the blog or even with the Harry Potter series, there’s a universal truth outside of all context that when accepted will change the world as we know it. It doesn’t matter.
If Dumbledore dons his purple robe with limp wrists, it doesn’t matter. If a woman decides to allow her five-year-old son to dress like a girl, it doesn’t matter.
Liberty is the right to act without infringement as long as your actions aren’t infringements themselves. As long as homosexuality respects the freedoms of others, it acts in liberty, and an action that functions in liberty is nothing for man to condemn.
Unfortunately, however, the world isn’t on the same page with me. And it may take more magic than even Dumbledore can conjure to fix that.
 
Cody Worsham is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_Cworsham.
 
 
 
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Contact Cody Worsham at [email protected]