by Kyra Lennon

Created on: May 04, 2010   Last Updated: May 05, 2010

Harry Potter will go down in history as being one of the greatest children's book series of all time. Loved not only by children, but by many adults too, the boy wizard will be remembered and read about for many years to come. I am one of those adults who loves Harry Potter. I speak in the present tense because even though the series is over now, I will always love the books. The characters are dear to me, but J.K Rowling's revelation that Albus Dumbledore was gay was a step too far in my opinion.

To begin with, I would like to say that I have no problem with gay people. My opinion on this subject is simply that I have absolutely no idea why Dumbledore being gay is relevant to the story. If it wasn't important enough to include in the books, I don't believe it is important enough to know afterwards.

J.K Rowling said that in her mind Dumbledore was always gay, and that's fine. She created him and it is her right to decide every aspect of who he was. But I don't think it's right that she forced that information on those of us who were quite happy using our imagination. In my head, Dumbledore was unmarried because there was nobody in the world who he was intellectually compatible with. He had no equal. It was speculated that Dumbeldore was in love with Grindelwald  (the dark wizard he later defeated)  in his youth and some people reached this conclusion from a hint in the Deathly Hallows about the youngsters being inseperable. J.K Rowling later confirmed this to be true. Perhaps I was naive in thinking they were just two wizards who were great friends, like Harry and Ron.

It's not that Dumbledore being gay is a problem for me, it is simply that I feel some things are better left to the reader to decipher. The magic of the books is slightly lessened when every single little thing is explained or revealed. As much as I admire J.K Rowling for writing this incredible series, the last minute revelation about Dumbledore always felt to me like the actions of a person unwilling to let go of her characters.

As well as the fact that I don't think we ever needed to know this, there is also the possibility that youngsters who read the Harry Potter books might ask awkward questions about sexuality that parents may not think their children are ready to know about or understand. Of course, kids these days aren't nearly as innocent and sheltered as they were many years ago but putting this image of a character they may have idolised into their heads has the potential to complicate the books more than is necessary for young minds.

Overall, I feel J.K Rowling would have done better to leave Dumbledore's sexuality in her own head and not forced it upon those who find were happier drawing their own conclusions. It was a piece of information that has absolutely no bearing on the books and as such, should have remained unknown.

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