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Reader Comments: (Page 2)

Should make filming of HBP very interesting. And I agree with Xenia...makes me love Albus even more!

Posted by Dmf1984 from Jacksonville, FL on October 20, 2007 03:19 AM

To WP: Why shouldn't ity be included in a children's book? There is plenty of love included in the book (Lily and James, Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione..to name a few), so why shoudn't there so be so much as a hint that there's love between men and men as well (and women and women)?

We want children to grow up in an open world and to be free about their feelings, don't we? After all, "Harry Potter" is about truth and love and finding your true spirit!

Posted by Siena from Leeds, UK on October 20, 2007 03:42 AM

I wasnt expecting that. Maybe Ron being , but not Dumbledore. Well Harry was his man through and through.

Posted by Dominic from Ireland on October 20, 2007 04:09 AM

Well I think its brilliant. "This is crazy...it's a children's book, for goodness' sake!"
So what? Its not mentioned in the book. Your making it seem like something to taboo and disgusting to even be assocated with children, when acceptence of diversty is one of the things Harry and the other good characters stand for.

Posted by Sukie from Belfast on October 20, 2007 05:33 AM

I had an idea that Dumbledore was . It made sense, with the way he acted, and all that stuff about loving Harry? I know it may have been in a non-sexual way, but still...
Anyway, I'm sure if I go back and read the books again I'll be able to pick up even more. I doubt I for a long time, however, so Dumbledore just have to wait.

Posted by Tom from Melbourne, Australia on October 20, 2007 05:37 AM

It doesn't really matter to me if Dumbledore was or straight, but it does annoy me that JK Rowling never made him tell anyone. I always thought Dumbledore was truthful and said that peoples different beliefs (or ) didn't matter, but then he kept this quiet.

And in the Kings Cross chapter he said to Harry that he now had no secrets from him (because harry had found out about his obsession with the ly hallows) but he still had this secret!

Posted by Lucy from London on October 20, 2007 05:43 AM

Let's please not loose our decency and respect towards J.K.Rowling now!

We were GREEDY for more details about the Harry Potter characters - and we all hoped for some awe-inspiring insider news!

Now that we got what we wanted - let's not behave like Petunia!

Right, Professor Dumbledore is/was - so what.....future readers of the books won't be bothered with that... Parents should not worry about this either..the children of the 21th century are enlightened!

We have been warned by Jo herself that it would be very telling to know all of Dumbledore's story. Why did it take Dumbledore so long (1945) to challenge Gellert Grindelwald to duel?

Knowing that Dumbledore was , doesn't change my mind about the character Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter books or Jo! We should remember that we, her readers, have a sensational advantage no reader ever had as far as I know - or whenever was it known that a devoted reader was to get information on certain beloved fictional characters - from the author - after the end of the story?

One last word - if we begin to "worship" Severus Snape - even though he was a greasy, morose, lousy teacher ( I admit I "love" him too) we should easily be generous to Dumbledore's way of life!

Posted by Mistral from Switzerland on October 20, 2007 06:22 AM

Xenia above has a good point, 'it never mattered to me then'. As for turning this book into a half-adult book, hasn't it always been a half-adult or young-adult book? I mention I was a little shocked at first trying to think back but really just like Katie posted, I had become so involved in the books and movies that I had a hard time separating this from our own world. Who knows, who cares. We like the books because of the environment and plots, not because we believe it exists in reality of our world. This only makes it more interesting.

Posted by Robert from Elkhart, IN on October 20, 2007 06:27 AM

I wondered about Dumbledore's love life. The books show that he was always a fan of love yet he didn't seem to have a long term partner.

I always got the feeling that Dumbledore was quite lonely, he was so clever, which I thought distanced him from other people. He had many freindships but I think they were held back because they viewed him as a powerful figure (can see this when the other charaters who are his friends describe him).

Therefore, when JK Rowling said that Dumbledore loved Grindelwald (his mental equal) it made sense. It explains why he never loved anyone else because there was never anyone else who could truly understand him on an intellectual level because they had not experienced it.

As for Dumbledore being , it didn't surprise me at all. I think it fits well with his character.

Posted by CT from England on October 20, 2007 06:38 AM

Good on J.K. for saying this without being scared of what people think.

Posted by Dan from Coventry on October 20, 2007 07:42 AM

This makes me happy. I don't know, I suspected it after reading DH.

And I feel I should point out that, though , Dumbledore wouldn't fall in love with every person of the male gender he met. It's not that much different from being .

Posted by Heiki from Norway on October 20, 2007 07:53 AM

The reaction of the crowd at the announcement was great! I loved it when I read that part!

On the topic of Albus’ character, though, I don’t see how knowing this bit of info makes any difference whatsoever. His attraction to good-looking, charming, intelligent Gellert Grindelwald may very well have been of a romantic nature, but is that really so different than simply being a couple of people that hit it off in friendship? The same holds true for Elphias. Two boys who were outcasts attracted to each other for whatever the reasons, and held a friendship for a very long time (144 or so years!), whatever the nature of their relationship is or was.

I admit I never imagined Albus with a romantic relationship to anyone, male or female, so this isn’t a blow for me one jot. I was curious about the existence of ity in the wizard community, and knew there must be some wizards - they are human (at least in Jo’s version) after all, and it would neither make sense, nor be realistic if there were none - Gilderoy was indeed one of those I imagined to be . I do applaud Jo for taking the courage to let us know that one of our most beloved and admired characters was ; she obviously was nervous about telling us, which is why she didn’t mention it sooner. I am also glad that she doesn’t mention this in the books, as it would increase the number of younger readers that were banned from reading it by their parents, as well as older readers who get uncomfortable at the mere mention of the word “”. But it doesn’t change anything really, not in my mind or perception, anyway, about how I see Albus at all. He is still him. Anyone who has gone through a loved one’s announcement of being can tell you that.

or not, I think he still would have made the same decisions, still would have formulated the same plan, still would have succumbed to the same “flaws” in that plan. Does this make the story any more “real” or “adult”? Not any more than the of 16 and 17 year old school students and almost every father figure the hero has. Does it help me understand Albus more? Not really, because Albus has always been different, regardless of his sexual preference. I always saw him as struggling throughout his life for various issues, and it doesn’t seem to me that this was one which the Wizarding world really takes as controversial as the Muggle world does, or as they take experimental goat charming.

Speaking of which - yes, maybe sometimes ity runs in the family, but I don’t know, nor would I be surprised, one way or the other about Aberforth. Honestly, I think he would have been more into bestiality than ity; it is a different thing entirely.

Posted by monkeeshrines from orlando fl on October 20, 2007 07:56 AM

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