Lucia

de Vernai

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October 22, 2007

Harry Potter Politics: Is Dumbledore Too Gay? Or Not Gay Enough?

The only good witch is a dead witch, and when in the sixth book of the “Harry Potter” series, author J.K. Rowling killed off Hogwarts’ most beloved wizard, the religious right’s excitement paralleled that of Voldemort. But Dumbledore came back to haunt them from the grave when Rowling announced that he was gay last week.

Now social conservatives are being joined by an unlikely ally in their outrage over the announcement – the gay community. Prominent gay rights activists and leaders have voiced their complaints about Rowling not being explicit enough about Dumbledore’s orientation. Apparently the elaborate robes and a colorful pet phoenix were not sufficient indicators.

The revelation came during Rowling’s first U.S. tour, because where else would it make an equally dashing statement? Despite what the tabloids cover or the nightly news reports, Americans have a strong, albeit hypocritical, puritan streak. Bringing Dumbledore back from the grave and out of the closet just wouldn’t be the same back home in the U.K. Sex and authority are a special interest in America (pun intended) and it will not be long until we see a major U.S. newspaper run a political cartoon portraying Harry as a congressional page.

If we entertain the objection to Dumbledore’s ambiguity, serious questions arise. How gay is gay enough? Taking the underage audience into consideration, the unwritten rules indicate that the author should not pull any punches below the waist. But would a passionate stroke on the cheek along with an “et tu, Severus?” be so out of line?

Probably. Scholastic’s claim to fame, the 8.3 million copies of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows” that sold in 24 hours, would go “poof!” Now that malls across the world have sold out of Gryffindor scarves but the fickle attention of 11-year-olds have not moved on to the next fantasy, Rowling’s release of this information is magically well timed.

Rowling acknowledged that many groups are opposed to her work, but stressed that her novels encourage “challenging authority” and “argue for tolerance.” While a selling point for mommies and daddies that feed their four-year-olds Kashi and look for “multicultural” preschools, those objectives are the fodder for the “Harry’s going to Hell” argument.

Still, Christian extremists shouldn’t write off Rowling’s sexual politics. If anything, they are a good distraction from having to explain the special relationship between Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber from “Veggie Tales”. Though they may want to keep their eyes on the ball and not get distracted by such potent yet relatively minor details as sexuality. If they do, Ginny Wesley should be their first target. Dumbledore may be gay, but he’s not the home wrecker.

Dumbledore’s greatest contribution to warping young minds is his philosophy. Homosexuality doesn’t make the Christian tradition crumble. However, Dumbledore’s conviction that “to the well organized mind, death is but another great adventure” has potential.

Rowling’s admission has also opened the door for the alternative reading of other characters. For example, in book two, one former student reveals that “. . . then Dumbledore became headmaster, and he was sympathetic. He said that as long as we took certain precautions, there was no reason I shouldn’t come to school . . .” Lupin’s dark identity secret was that he’s a werewolf, but then again, wizards can’t be trusted . . .

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