Poor guy. He never saw it coming.
When we were at the movie the other night, I overheard the woman behind me telling someone that she heard Harry Pott*r was gay. People were asking whether the actor or the character was gay and she was "certain" it was the character. Before I knew it, the other end of the aisle had heard it and I knew I had to put a stop to this nasty rumor. Okay, I was chicken so it was actually my mom that hushed the gossip and told them that instead, it was his Head Master. The Mentor. The all-knowing gentleman. And the cover of next weeks People Mag*zine.
Gasp!
I thought to myself, how odd that even a fictional character can be outed. It must be hard to stay in the closet, even in the smallest way, these days. I wouldn't know but I do remember the angst that came with thinking of my orientation falling on unsafe lips. Who would they tell? Who wouldn't they tell?
I remember walking into work one day and hearing that my "boss" saw me kissing my girlfriend at a local hotel/fundraiser. Within minutes, every co-worker knew I wasn't who I said I was. I wasn't. I had lied to them for almost two years. I had a made up boyfriend that miraculously showed up in every story I told. And sometimes, he even showed up in person. The shame! I was so afraid of my people not loving me the way they loved the person I wasn't.
So today, JK Rowl*ng is being tormented for creating this character. ...For announcing he's gay After people already decided to love and respect him. How dare she allow us to know this "person" and then tell us later he's not who we thought he was? And then the queer community is bothered that she chose to wait so long. Why wouldn't she have outed him when we really need a Strong character to look up to during the last election?
Sure, it would've been great if Dumbl*dore could've began his career already out of the closet. He may have lost friends, lost promotions, lost book sales and lost some of that hair but he would've been a strong, gay man with integrity. He could've been an example to me while I hid in my closet. Just like I could've been an example to someone else in their closet.
Who cares!? He's fictional! His only love never even came to fruition! And didn't he die recently?
I wouldn't know. I've never read a single HP book and I've only seen one of the movies and it gave me nightmares because some awful black image kept floating through the sky. Maybe that was the right-wing conservatives, threatening the poor man back into that classroom closet.
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