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J.K.
Rowling, the author of the popular Harry Potter series, just announced that
one of her most prominent characters, Albus Dumbledore, is gay.
According to the BBC News Article published on Saturday Oct. 20, J.K. Rowling
was answering questions to her fans, and some kid asked her if Dumbledore
ever found "true love." She replied by explaining that she always
thought he was gay.
Since this announcement, dozens of articles have circulated regarding Rowling
and Dumbledore, and personally, I know the countdown has just begun on why
Harry Potter should not be allowed in schools, or in young reader's hands due
to homosexual content.
Yes, the Harry Potter books have enjoyed plenty of censorship and what the
American Library Association calls "challenges" (where someone
would like that book removed from the library shelves; the actual outcome
varies,) however the banning of Harry Potter was usually focused on
anti-Christian values, specifically witchcraft and fantasy.
Now, the ballgame of why this popular series should be burned is different.
We are no longer discussing witchcraft and fantasy, but instead we are
talking about a much more taboo subject: gay love.
Examples of this are tragically embedded in our history. In 1895 the famous
playwright/poet, Oscar Wilde, was found guilty for "gross
indecency" for his homoerotic themes found in his only novel "The
Picture of Dorian Gray." When I visited Auschwitz
this summer, it was not until I saw the upside-down pink triangle that
homosexuals had to wear on their arms that I fell to pieces. It is disgusting
how far humans will go to make their own agendas a reality.
And it is somewhat scary to think that if I lived in the 1890's to the
1940's, I could be prosecuted and eventually killed for being gay.
But, honestly, not much has changed, and because of this it is not just our
history that we should be alarmed about. Instead, we should fight the
intolerance of gay love today.
In 2006, for instance, the short children's book called "And Tango Makes
Three" was on top of the "Most Challenged" list, says the
American Library Association. It is a cute story, about two penguins who are
best friends. Together they form a union, and find a rock. They take turns
sitting on this rock, and wait for it to hatch, to no avail. Finally, one of
the zoo keepers gives them an egg, and they properly birth and raise a child,
named Tango. This true story is based on a gay penguin couple from the New
York City Zoo. Second on the list of banned books for 2006 is the popular
young adult novel called "Gossip Girls", again for its homosexual themes.
Since JK Rowling's announcement last Friday about our beloved headmaster
being a queer, she has been applauded for pushing gay rights. But she hasn't
done this. Instead, she just wrote life and how it is. It is damn near
impossible to not know a gay person, when, according to almost every credible
source, at least one in ten are gay, in fact, there is an organization under
that same name.
Because there are so many homosexuals in this world, having a character being
homosexual is not too uncommon. In fact, statistically speaking, there should
be more. What I am most happy about, at least for JK Rowling's sake, is that
this "outing" of Dumbledore will be a battle she will now have to
face every single time she goes to get her books signed. She has opened up a
dialogue to help people understand homosexuality.
And, personally, it was not until literally an hour ago (when one of my
teachers called homosexuality a preference) did I think people need to be
further educated about homosexuality. I often thought it was simply just
closed minded idiots who believed homosexuality is a choice, especially when
prestigious entities such as UCLA and the U.S. National Institute of Health
run separate studies that find that homosexuality is genetic.
With all of the research and facts that keep going into why we are gay, we
should be past the day that J.K. Rowling, or anyone for that matter, is
applauded for including real, honest to life love, whether it be gay or
straight love, in their novels, because, honestly, there is no difference.
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