According to the Associated Press, in an interview conducted with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling today, one of the main characters in the Harry Potter series, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore is gay. Yep, you read that right. Here’s the article that I found on the Comcast website.
Me, I have absolutely no problem with this. But my next thought went to one young lady that I know who grew up with the Harry Potter series (and is the same age as Harry and Ron.) She lives in a pretty conservative home and I’m not sure how either she or her parents are going to take the fact that Dumbledore is gay. (Even though Dumbledore is a fictional character, having movies that make him life like makes it harder for us to distinguish fact from fiction.)
So why am I posting about this? Because I think that every time some famous person (and in this case it’s a fictional person that has had an impact on an ENTIRE generation) or not famous person stands up and says, “yes, I’m gay,” or “yes, my husband/wife beat me” or “yes I suffer from this particular illness” the stigma attached to that is chipped away a tiny piece.
Working on the racism task force that I volunteer on, has helped me realize that the stigmas attached to people by other people are the hardest things to get rid of. I think it’s about time that we look beyond the label of gay or lesbian etc. and see the men and women behind those labels. That there are wonderful couples (I’ve been to their weddings) and wonderful families (I’ve been there to see their babies baptized.) This is what matters-families and friends. AMEN!
Ben has been deployed for 32 days
