dumbledor is gay? - Page 2

Donkey® · 10-22-2007, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by 7960

I would have made this same thread if I'd heard any of that before this story.

It's stupid. It detracts from the story.

How so? I have yet to see a book called "Harry Potter and Flaming Dildo." The story is what is contained in the books. If it's not in the books, it isn't part of the story. Doesn't add or take away anything for her to say whatever she wants...oh, add to that the fact that it's HER franchise and she can say and do whatever she wants with it.

7960 · 10-22-2007, 12:07 PM

She didn't make it part of the story.
She didn't comment on any other characters, in or out of the books.
She went off on some tangential story that's not even remotely supported by the books.
It was never an issue...his sexual preference didn't create drama or settle it.
When reading the books I never thought "is <fill in character> gay or straight?"

Like I said a bunch already......it just seems contrived to make up this detail that she didn't bother putting in the book.

Ardentfrost · 10-22-2007, 12:25 PM

Personally I find it weird that someone would even ask? How pent up on sexual alignment do you gotta be to be reading a book and say "Ooo, I bet this one character is gay!"

7960 · 10-22-2007, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

Personally I find it weird that someone would even ask? How pent up on sexual alignment do you gotta be to be reading a book and say "Ooo, I bet this one character is gay!"

Apparently it's been a topic on some HP web discussion forum for a while. Like you, I have no idea why.

jimeigh · 10-23-2007, 10:41 AM

the fact that he's a character that you're supposedly made to like, while he just so happens to be gay, seems to be the point. he also has a bit of a back story, apparently, where his defective love story gives him a "oooh dark and mysterious past!"

in a creative writing class i took our teacher told this girl who wanted to make a story to promote acceptance of lesbians, that a good way to do this, would be to write a story about lesbian lovers, have some sort of struggle that they overcome, but make it about something else. make it uningeresting that they're lesbians. this would help for the reader to get it that lesbianism isnt a sort of radical thing. these people are living their lives like we all do, and they just happen to be gay.

dumbledore just happens to be gay.

who cares? no one should. thats the point.

there are many other points that she tried to make with her characters. i read an article about how she made Hermoinie a headstrong, "nerdy" girl, because she feels there are too many ditsy/stupid, only care about looks, female role models for little girls.
good for JK Rowling, i say.

7960 · 10-23-2007, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by jimeigh

in a creative writing class i took our teacher told this girl who wanted to make a story to promote acceptance of lesbians, that a good way to do this, would be to write a story about lesbian lovers, have some sort of struggle that they overcome, but make it about something else. make it uningeresting that they're lesbians. this would help for the reader to get it that lesbianism isnt a sort of radical thing. these people are living their lives like we all do, and they just happen to be gay.

dumbledore just happens to be gay.

who cares? no one should. thats the point.

The HUGE difference is, in the creative writing example, the readers know the characters are lesbian. Whether it matters or not isn't the issue.

In HP the reader doesn't have a clue based on anything in the book, then the author went off on this wild storyline after the fact. You're right, his preference shouldn't matter because it was such a non-factor in the story that it wasn't even mentioned.

there are many other points that she tried to make with her characters. i read an article about how she made Hermoinie a headstrong, "nerdy" girl, because she feels there are too many ditsy/stupid, only care about looks, female role models for little girls.
good for JK Rowling, i say.

Hermione was a nerd before Rowling got the story.

Ardentfrost · 10-23-2007, 11:36 AM

If Rowling wanted to write a prequel book and within that book mentions that Dumbledore is gay, that's fine. The difference is there's really no *point* to her bringing it up at this time. Even if she has good reason in her head, it seems assanine to give him a sexuality. Nothing changes in him being gay. The stories are NO different, his post-script sexuality means nothing. Therefore, it's just silly. She's either trying to get in the news, maybe sell a few more books, or something like that. Or she could be writing that prequel book I mentioned, in which case it's ok for her to mention it now since it'll be in the story soon, although with no proof of that happening, it just comes across as meaningless.

motivez · 10-23-2007, 11:51 AM

The point in bringing it up is that a fan asked and wanted to know, she answered.. Something doesn't have to "add value" to the story in your eyes for it to be something that's okay to do.

And I think like Jimeigh said, some people will look at this and have averse reactions because of their own prejudices, even though they might have really liked the character.. maybe they'll re-evaluate those prejudices.

I really don't think it would have been something people even noticed if she had said, "Yes, he gets with Female_Character_05" .. and as far as selling more books, lol, really? I mean, more books is always a good thing I'm sure, but it's not as though these aren't selling extraordinarily well to begin with..

Ardentfrost · 10-23-2007, 05:22 PM

You don't think her giving her books more exposure in the papers and news and whatnot will get more books off the shelves? I assume Harry Potter is no different than any other product in that respect, which means that it will. If that was her intention or not, I don't know.

I just think it's a silly thing to bring up, on the fan's part and on her's for justifying it with an answer. She made up those characters, so their hers to do with as she wishes, but she didn't "make him gay" until that very moment. As I said before, he was, up until then, sexually ambiguous, as most made-up characters are. I see this no less retarded as people claiming the Tele-Tubbies are gay.

It's not that it has ruined the books or anything like that, and I would still have no problem with my (future) kids reading them, it's just silly.

jimeigh · 10-23-2007, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

I just think it's a silly thing to bring up, on the fan's part

do you know what the question was that the fan asked?

and on her's for justifying it with an answer.

yea, how stupid of her to answer a fans question about her story.

she didn't "make him gay" until that very moment.

how do you know? did you ask her about that? and if you asked her, would she be silly for justifying your question with an answer?

motivez · 10-23-2007, 06:25 PM

Because this is the first fictional character in history people wanted to know more about than was contained in the story?

You can look at pretty much any incredibly popular (and even not so incredibly popular) series out there, Star Wars, Star Trek, whatever.. fans who get really into it want more than is in the official canon.. they create fan fictions, alternate stories, etc..

As far as not making him gay until that very moment, I guess you didn't bother to read the article:

Rowling told the audience that while working on the planned sixth Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," she spotted a reference in the script to a girl who once was of interest to Dumbledore. A note was duly passed to director David Yates, revealing the truth about her character.

So, what you said is incorrect.. and it's apparently been in her mind for awhile.

I don't see it as retarded or silly at all, she's simply fleshing out the universe she created in her stories.

jimeigh · 10-23-2007, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by motivez

she's simply fleshing out the universe she created in her stories.

truth.

Ardentfrost · 10-23-2007, 06:32 PM

Actually, I DID know that (about an old love interest that she turned down). I still think it's silly, though, to give him a sexuality when it's unimportant. I would be saying the same thing if she said he's straight. It just plain silly.

motivez · 10-23-2007, 06:35 PM

Just because it's unimportant to you doesn't make it silly.. and if he was straight, no one would have noticed and this wouldn't have been a story except on Harry Potter fansites.

jimeigh · 10-23-2007, 06:41 PM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

I still think it's silly, though, to give him a sexuality when it's unimportant.

it's no more "silly" than there being a black kid in the story, while his skin color was unimportant. i mean, why coudlnt he just be racially ambiguous?!

JaJae · 10-23-2007, 06:41 PM

YouTube Video

Harry is gay too.

Ardentfrost · 10-23-2007, 06:45 PM

Obviously at some point she had to decide "this character is gay." Did she decide that for a reason? Nothing in the books warranted him having a sexual preference, so why is he gay? Are other characters straight that would otherwise be sexually ambiguous? Have any of them been in threesomes? How much does each character pay for milk on a weekly basis?

All that shit is just plain silly if it doesn't propagate the story in some way. Those things don't matter, so why ask, why think about it at all unless you have some NEED for those things to be known, if only to you?

It's dumb. I mean, I don't CARE that she made him gay, I just think it's pointless and therefore silly that it's even brought up.

jimeigh · 10-23-2007, 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

Obviously at some point she had to decide "this character is gay." Did she decide that for a reason? Nothing in the books warranted him having a sexual preference, so why is he gay?

why not? there were more than 10 characters in the book, and statistically, 1/10 people are gay. why do you need to know what her reason was? why should that kid have been black?

All that shit is just plain silly if it doesn't propagate the story in some way.

i didnt actually read the books, but from what ive read about it, there was hinted to be a failed gay relationship of sorts in his past, and it helped to shape him into who he is. or something.

It's dumb. I mean, I don't CARE that she made him gay,

methinks you protest too much

I just think it's pointless and therefore silly that it's even brought up.

so why do you keep posting about it, then?

Ardentfrost · 10-23-2007, 07:09 PM

I keep posting about it because people insist that my OPINION is wrong when it's not right or wrong, it's simply my opinion (my opinion that defining his sexuality wasn't really needed and was therefore either done for some purpose she has in her own mind or because she's just as silly as her fans asking the questions).

I haven't read the books either, but my wife has and she didn't know anything about him being gay before he announced it vicariously through Rowling

I did lol at the "1/10 people are gay" thing, lol. I want to know if any of them have a third nipple then! I want to know if any of them have had their appendixes removed! lol, all that shit don't mean a thing.

nbiggershaft · 10-23-2007, 07:22 PM

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

Obviously at some point she had to decide "this character is gay." Did she decide that for a reason? Nothing in the books warranted him having a sexual preference, so why is he gay? Are other characters straight that would otherwise be sexually ambiguous? Have any of them been in threesomes? How much does each character pay for milk on a weekly basis?

All that shit is just plain silly if it doesn't propagate the story in some way. Those things don't matter, so why ask, why think about it at all unless you have some NEED for those things to be known, if only to you?

It's dumb. I mean, I don't CARE that she made him gay, I just think it's pointless and therefore silly that it's even brought up.

Harry Potter is the biggest book and may turn out to be film series of our times. You realize how much interest there was in every measly character in Star Wars. You could probably fill 10 swimming pools with backstory and after story of characters that didn't have a line in star wars. This stuff isn't uncommon or unwelcome (until someone turns out to be gay).