So Dumbledore dabbled in the love that dare not speak its name.

In all honesty, I’m not mad he turned out to be gay. I’m not mad J.K. Rowling outted him. I’m just perplexed and lost over the whole ordeal. Where in any of the books do we get even a Hogs Head’s whiff of Dumbledore’s unusual sexual orientation?

We don’t!

Sure, he waited a few years before he went to duel Grindelwald, the man he had loved, and he was more of a quiet, reserved character with respect to his personal life and feelings. But those are only a little noticeable after Rowling’s announcement.

This has caused quite the stir in the Harry Potter universe and that is slightly worrisome. I may not understand why and how Rowling chose to reveal this information, but it seems to be detracting from the wonderful Harry Potter story itself.

Part of the reason the series has enjoyed tremendous success is the fact the characters are real. They all have human faults, some more than others. People can relate to them, which makes the story more realistic and that much better. Nobody is perfect and nothing is black and white, the story enjoys all the complexities of real life – just in a fictional world.

Just because Dumbledore was gay doesn’t make his character any less intriguing or impressive. Don’t focus on Dumbledore being gay, focus on a truly great fictional tale with too many real-world parallels, ethical questions and moral guides to document here.

In the end, Harry Potter will go down as a classic piece of literature and schoolchildren will be reading the thrilling tale for years to come. Now, excuse me while I go and enjoy some firewhiskey in honor of the man who inspired The Boy Who Lived.