thursday next

NEW YORK - Harry Potter fans, the rumors are true: Albus Dumbledore, master wizard and Headmaster of Hogwarts, is gay. J.K. Rowling, author of the mega-selling fantasy series that ended last summer, outed the beloved character Friday night while appearing before a full house at Carnegie Hall.

After reading briefly from the final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," she took questions from audience members.

She was asked by one young fan whether Dumbledore finds "true love."

"Dumbledore is gay," the author responded to gasps and applause.

She then explained that Dumbledore was smitten with rival Gellert Grindelwald, whom he defeated long ago in a battle between good and bad wizards. "Falling in love can blind us to an extent," Rowling said of Dumbledore's feelings, adding that Dumbledore was "horribly, terribly let down."

Dumbledore's love, she observed, was his "great tragedy."

"Oh, my god," Rowling concluded with a laugh, "the fan fiction."

Potter readers on fan sites and elsewhere on the Internet have speculated on the sexuality of Dumbledore, noting that he has no close relationship with women and a mysterious, troubled past. And explicit scenes with Dumbledore already have appeared in fan fiction.

Rowling told the audience that while working on the planned sixth Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," she spotted a reference in the script to a girl who once was of interest to Dumbledore. A note was duly passed to director David Yates, revealing the truth about her character.

Rowling, finishing a brief "Open Book Tour" of the United States, her first tour here since 2000, also said that she regarded her Potter books as a "prolonged argument for tolerance" and urged her fans to "question authority."

Not everyone likes her work, Rowling said, likely referring to Christian groups that have alleged the books promote witchcraft. Her news about Dumbledore, she said, will give them one more reason.

Personally, this just gives me one more reason to thank Rowling for creating such a wonderful world full of rich and diverse characters. It is important for people to see their lives reflected in literature, and many times the GLBT population is either shut out of popular fiction or relegated to small sidekick roles. Dumbledore is a popular and widely respected character, known for his intelligence, integrity and strength. I only wish that we had known earlier in the series -- better late than never I suppose but the fact that Rowling only felt she could reveal Dumbledore's sexuality after the series is safely finished only emphasizes that homosexuality is still seen as taboo, particularly in the world of juvenile literature. But let's focus on the positive, young people who are questioning thier sexuality or struggling for acceptance now have a new positive role model, one who is a legend in the wizarding world -- Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.