Is this really needed?

If he is gay he is gay.

But do we need in depth coverage of this characters love life.

Even if it was heterosexual i wouldn't want to know.

The dude is like 800 yrs old.

If Dumbledore was gay, isn't the phrase "gay lover" a bit redundant? If he's gay, he's not likely to have a straight lover, is he?

Did I miss something in the books? I thought Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald and put him in prison, but it was Voldemort that kills him in the last book.

What's up with gay caracters? A new trend? It seems that a scifi of fantasy movie isn't completed without a few of them.

Anyone (regardless of orientation) sometimes use the word "lover" to refer to their relationship "significant others". "Lover" is not a gay or a straight word.

I'm gay, but I don't think Dumbledore's orientation has any real bearing on the story. Just like mine doesn't at my job or within relationships that are not with my other half. And that's the point I think. So what if Dumbledore was gay. It didn't make him any less powerful of a wizard or any less of a father figure and protector of Harry Potter.

@Pimenta,

gay people are real and all around us, why would a movie not represent that? Why would a movie pretend everybody is heterosexual, when it's completely not true. I think you just need to wake up and accept reality and accept and respect others along the way.

Why gay characters can't show up in a movie/TV Show/Whatever? It's totally natural and realistic.

Making Dumbledore gay was just about the worst idea J.K. Rowling had in writing the last Harry Potter novel, even worse than having Harry kill Voldemort in 2 seconds, marry Ginny, and go on to name his son "Albus Severus". It's like she wasn't content to completely crush our dreams by writing the worst ending to the series possible, she also had to go and ruin one of our favorite characters in the series after the fact. The movies absolutely should not acknowledge that...have Dumbledore involved in an affair with McGonnagal or somebody if they really have a need for cheap thrills or controversy... They've had no problem deviating sharply from the books up to now; I see no reason why they should start being loyal to the source material, especially when it is so awful that it NEEDS to be changed.

I have frinds who just happen to be Gay/Lesbian.
Y`know...I just think of them as MY FRIENDS.

Will Dumbledoe`s personal preferences have any bearing upon the plot ? I doubt it.

Frankly, I`m getting a bit tired of having agendas stuck in my face.

What garbage!

Agree with the first poster....this has absolutely nothing to do with the story, nor does it enhance the character. Don't care what his preference is one way or another...it's pointless.

I'm kind of surprised by the vitriol against this here. Given how geeks tend to be ostracized, I can't believe how quickly everyone here is to be offended by "gay agendas"

No one is trying to throw things in our face. But a movie is different from a book in that there's a visual element. There are actors who have motivations. Rowling worked with Alan Rickman and gave him more of Snape's background so he could properly act the part. Sounds to me like the same thing here. Its just more information they are including in the character motivations. And its not for cheap thrills. Think of how much worse Grindelwald's betrayal is if he wasn't just a friend, but more.

Frankly the idea that Dumbledore being gay is the "worst idea ever" is disgusting. Next we'll be complaining that Dean Thomas is black. "What is it with black characters? A new trend." Please people.

Oh and saying you have gay friends does not make this thinking ok. If you feel it necessary to spell that out, then you know there's something wrong with what you are saying.

I wish JK Rowling had never revealed Dumbledore was gay. Before then, he was a sexless teacher and mentor, which is all he needed to be. The story wasn't focused on any of the teachers and I think it took something away from the series b/c it didn't matter and distracted from the story.

Ok, so it has no real importance to the overall story in Harry Potter.

But we have background on basically every other important character in the entire series, so why not Dumbledore?

And also, @Pimenta, seeing as how there are gay people in real life, everywhere, surely there would be gay people in sci-fi/fantasy? What you said doesn't make a bit of sense.

@missy s
Rowling did nothing wrong with revealing, after the books were finished that the character, in her mind, had always been gay. Since this was never brought up in the books you cannot say that he wasn't still a sexless teacher and mentor. Rowlings wrote him that way. His being gay is apocryphal and while I support it, if you choose to ignore it because it was never mentioned in the canon text feel free. I think the filmmakers will be making a mistake if they do anything more than subtly show it. Although you have to remember this is film a visual medium and when Dumbledore talks about the time he spent with Grindelwald, if that is his lover than they may want to show some of that interaction. And that would be the filmmakers choice, not Rowlings. Don't bash Rowlings the series had it's many flaws but the way she handled Dumbledore was letter perfect.

gay or straight, the issue is really the cowardice of JKR for not dealing with it in the book. Coming around later and saying "by the way, he's gay" is a cheap cop out.

This is totally unnecessary for a movie/book for kids. Maybe harry likes his owl too much too, ya just never know, but don't put it in the movie for cripes sake!

"JKR coward" dude - You are so wrong. She did not come out later and say it in some cowardly after comment. The film creators were writing a scene (I think for the recent film) where Dumbledore asks Harry about his relationships and mentions wistfully about a past girlfriend he lost. JKR read the script and said "Um, no, he is gay" to the producers. Later someone asked her if this was true and she admited that she always considered the character gay and that he was involved with Grindlewald. She did not point it out in the books because it was not pertinent to the story. But knowing this was in her mind, when you read the last book Dumbledore's actions and motivations related to Grindelwald fit this. It explains Dumbledore's closeness with Grindelwald, his motivation for ignoring his family while focusing on his future plans with Grindlewald, and his reluctance later to take him down when he went really bad. It fits very well, yet was not thrown in anyone's face. It motivated the character as it should, but did not push an agenda. So get over it.

@Antodav -
Does your small mind hurt when it bounces around in your big head? Do you have to go downstairs very slowly? Who gives a flying fig? It ruined the character to find out that its CREATOR imagined him to be gay? I think that she has a lot more say on the background of her characters than you do.
What if you found out, later in life that a great teacher you had was gay? Would it ruin him/her?
People are gay. People are straight. It doesn't make or ruin anyone. Grow up.

The article is a bit incorrect. Voldemort did not kill Grindlewald before the events of Deathly Hallows. He kills him DURING the events of the book, and Harry sees it happening in a vision due to his connection to Voldemort.

This is all a bunch of malarky to worry about anyway. I doubt it will be shot as anything overt. It is probably just he motivation he is given and possibly kept in mind in any flashback scenes without being blatantly blurted out. We shall see.

I HATE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!! i really do. there are gay agendas everywhere because politions saw them as an untapped demographic and platform (e.g. the supreme courts rulings on sodomoy i the early 90's and the purposed bill in congress right now concerning gay rights) homos want it both ways, they want everyone to accept them for being gay but the also want to be able to throw it in everyone's faces that they're gay and we shouldn't say anything about it. if you're gay STFU about it,i dont go around proclaming i bang every woman i see or yelling im here i'm straight get used to it. and to anyone who is going to go on a rant about discrimination, its a part of life, anyone remember high school?!?!?!?!?!?! grow up and get over it like the rest of us.

@EricZ28 - come on man, just admit it, you totally want to see some Dumbledor in some hot Man on Man action. It's ok, we'll accept you just the same.

The movie studio will not put the gay part in the film. The studio wants to market this film to parents and fans that will buy tickets and merchandise. The studio wants to gain money not lose money. I will guarantee they will omit this little part from thebook for the movie. Remember the movie studio is in charge not the director.

@ Antodav
I think JKR specifically left this particular revelation about Dumbledore out of the books SPECIFICALLY because she didn't want to sell the books with cheap thrills or controversy.

@ EricZ28
Somehow I doubt you bang every woman you see. Or most. Or even some... Ah well, it doesn't matter, I'll get back on topic.

@ shadow
As much as it bothers me, I have a feeling you're right about this. At most they'll have a subtle scene that only those who know about this will understand fully.

Gay characters??? It's a British thing.

Antodav, the fact that you call a character being gay 'ruining' the character shows how your mindset works.

Many people liked how Harry Potter ended. I've come across whiners who wanted everyone in the book series to die horribly because it's more 'realistic.' How cynical can you be that a FANTASY novel with dragons, goblins, wizards, elves, witches, and ghosts is more 'realistic' if everyone dies? We can believe in all of that but not a happy ending? Seriously? What's wrong with society today?

As for Dubledore's sex life, yes, leave it ambigious. Dumbledore is like a grandfather character and I don't want to think of my grandfather as as sexual being, straight or gay.

@nghtlfe
You are right in your explanation on how JKR let it be known that Dumbledore was gay. I heard this news before listening to (on CD) the Deathly Hollows. While I’m don’t like have any agenda (gay or otherwise) pushed down my throat, I don’t think Dumbledore being gay takes away from the story that she wrote. Now if the director plays up the gay aspect, then I probably would have a problem with that. Harry Potter may have some flaws, (and I’m no Harry Potter fanatic) but it is a very well crafted story. I have yet read another young adult book that has come close to HP.

AMEN EricZ28,
While I wouldn't have put it that bluntly, I agree. I don't need to know if someone is gay or not. What they do with whomever is their business and we shouldn't have to be made aware of it. Anyone remember when "kiss and tell" was considered disgraceful? It's the same thing with race. I've dated girls of other "race" they're people, but whiners/politicians need to make a big deal out of something that is nothing. Discrimination does exist but it will never change and I am tired of people telling me that I should feel bad for being a white straight male, because of what people did in the past. But there are a lot of people who will let us know how wrong we are. like you said they need to GROW UP!!

This sounds like a good idea. If they can make the connection between the two characters clear, it may even add a bit of poignancy to the story. As romances tend to do, hence why we get so many of them in the books.

Not sure how they'd go about it, but it's worth a shot.

Gay people exist in this country too jackasses. And it's high time they start getting a little representation in movies and television shows that aren't specifically about being gay. My only problem is that JK Rowling made this whole thing with Dumbledore so subtle that she had to tell us just so we would even have a clue.

Dumbledore is gay?
Gay, stright, I really don’t care. He’s still a good character.
@ EricZ28 “homos want it both ways” Um wouldn’t that make them Bi-sexual?
Hmm, does this mean we can change his name to Dumbledohim?

Is there a "Gay Agenda" in Science Fiction and Fantasy Films and TV Shows?

While some of the comments about this whole topic are obviously pretty blunt and daresay I, shallow, it does raise interesting literary questions. Let's broaden the topic for then.

As several people have mentioned, homosexual is a lifestyle practiced by people in the real world. So are things ranging from doing drugs, having hot monkey relations and people who have the knack to interject a curse word for every adjective they use in a sentence. What the real issue here is, how realistic does a fiction author want their work to be? To what degree?

In this instance, it is a childrens to teens demographic. In the real world, I'm sure Harry would have found Bellatrix (at least according to her looks) shooting up in a bathroom somewhere and Deatheaters would be a very good source of gore. Enough to rival a juicy zombie movie I wager. I hope that you all get the point.

So, what should and shouldn't be in the book? Well, in most ways, an author has to cater to their audience. What will they accept and still buy the book vs how realistic do you want to make the book? In this case, you're not going to have carnal relations (aside from the occasional "snog") with Moaning Myrtle and Harry Potter. It just wouldn't sell nearly as much and would probably be banned more than the series already has been. This brings us back to the "gay" issue.

Was it ok for Rowling to reveal the character's sexual preference? That has a lot of variables to consider. For instance, how hot a topic is it to not just the general public, which isn't a huge deal, but to the intended readers? For my own preferences, I don't want my child thinking about childrens' books characters in ANY sexual way, no matter what way that is. "Oh, maybe Winnie and Piglet are more than just 'friends' dad..." No....just, no. However, according to the story, she did not intend for it to be a big deal, she only intended to state it as a fact. One could argue that it should have stayed under better wraps, but it is not like she wrote anything even remotely explicit about it in the actual books. (Hence, everybody's surprise...duh.) Plus, she had already gotten the money from the last book so she really didn't have anything to lose.

I seriously doubt they'll put anything overt about Dumbledore's sexuality into the movie. In my experience, lovers' relationships are supposed to be about great friendships at the core anyway. Hopefully my bit of rambling here helps. :)

Actually, Rowling only mentioned it after being questioned by fans after book 7 had been released. The topic was not adressed specifically because, like the fact that more people are gay or straight, it was irrelevant in the context of the book. If you have a probem with kids reading a book with a gay person in it, then YOU have a problem, since that's always going to happen (as it should). If you think it 'ruined' something for you, then that's YOUR problem as well. Not the book, not the writing, not recognizing that gay folks are everywhere and have been since humans have been humans, but your ridiculousness is the issue. Get real, grow up, open your eyes, and move on.

Dumbledore's gay (did anyone get that from the books, at all? I thought he had a little workplace flirt with Madam Pomfrey, and Professor McGonagall had an unrequited thing for him, you don't have to be gay all the time although people usually are), Grindelwald is pretty, do the math.

But not finding it in the book at all is a fault, perhaps mine. I do prefer that Dumbledore is seduced more by Grindelwald's philosophy of wizards ruling over non-wizards, intellectually, not sexually. That his seduction and failure and crime are moral in that sense, moral blindness, rather than being blinded by love.

Anyway I thought Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were lovers before Harry Potter's parents were murdered - particularly as the story developed afterwards - and I'll stick to that despite confounding evidence.

people who complain that they "don't need to see a character's sexuality portrayed" when that charcter is gay are just homophobic and silly.... do they complain when heterosexual couples kiss, hug, or even have sex in a book or movie? I don't think so... it's a double standard.

I think they should make a Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Scull Cap movie. Give the scull cap magical powers.

@ Cyberdlf, the term homophobic is just a word that came into being as a result of the misplaced political platforms around homosexuals to intimidate heterosexuals into feeling bad that we have a different moral standard than other people. I'm pretty tired of hearing that i'm a horrible terrible person because i have certain ideals and moralities. this country (the us) wouldn't exsist if it weren't for the pursuit of of morality and ideals, anyone remember the Pilgrims? they left england in search of a place and home where they wouldn't be subject to what the masses tried to force on them and tell them was correct thinking. tell me i'm wrong and there'll be 5 or 6 other people confirming what i say. :P

Eric, you're a horrible person and homophobe. If you're tired of hearing that then maybe it's time to re-evaluate some of your opinions.

"This is totally unnecessary for a movie/book for kids. Maybe harry likes his owl too much too, ya just never know, but don't put it in the movie for cripes sake!"

Because bestiality is the same as homosexuality? Nice.

I think that JKR made us take a look at things. I think people became unconfortable with the idea of this character, a headmaster no less, being gay. Sadly many people still feel we are out to either, covert the world, or molest children. I think it was well played by JKR. She made us all look at what people do to better the world they live in, not who they share a bed with.

I have read all of these books and nowhere in any of them is it even hinted at that Dumble dore is gay. JK Rowling DID out it after the fact. I got the impression that it was simply for the sake of creating a controversy and garner attention. If she wanted the character to be gay why is it never mentioned in any of the books? I enjoyed the books but that little bit of info was completely unecessary and should not be included in the movie.

Who the f**k cares.. I don't. I don't care for the films or books. Gay wizards or not.

EricZ28 you are a horrible terrible person because you are invalidating a whole group of people's experience of oppression. The nazis had "different moral standard than other people" doesn't mean their opinion should be respected and neither should yours.

Also, this article is dumb. There is not going to be any man on man action in the movies.

Personally I am so glad that there are so many gay characters around for young men and women to see in the fantasy and drama of today. As a gay man in my upper forties I would greatly have appreciated such characters when I was growing up instead of the choices of 'suicidal gay kid', 'murdering (thieving or villainous) gay' or the ever popular 'homosexual buffoon'.

@ Katinthehat,

hey dumb fuck way to take what i said out of context. "which is what anyone who wants to defend poor choices would do" i never said homos should be killed, burned, or anything like that, just that people should stop trying to force a change in other peoples thinking. i absolutly can't stand stupid people like you who get all high and mighty by picking apart a few things from what people say and trying to throw it back in their faces. either read ALL of what i wrote or STFU!! loser.