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Monday, 4:11 pm in Books & Comics

Gender politics is a favourite subject of mine so I just can’t let this one go.  Because, you see, it seems Dumbledore is gay.  I have two words in response to this:

Fuck.  You.

They’re vehement words, I know, and I can just hear you all saying, “Woah woah, hang on a second there Dee; shouldn’t you be all for that kind of shit?”  Because it’s true, I should be… but I just can’t bring myself to do it.  Because – and I’m sure it’s been pointed out before – this is the fandom for which slash authors have been mercilessly hounded for years with C&D notices from Warner Brothers.  “But Dee,” you protest, “The WB isn’t JKR!”  That’s true enough, I suppose, but the excuse just doesn’t gel with me and I can’t quite articulate within myself why I think that’s the case.  Maybe it’s just a sense of crushing disappointment, because if almost seems like JKR has pulled this out of her ass at the last minute with the sole purpose of attempting to placate the slash fans who’ve been languishing on the outer for the last (what?) decade.  Because here’s the deal, readers who are not into the Potter fandom; officially, JRK 'supports' fanfic.  She has, however, “expressed concern” over ‘adult’ fanfic.  And what is ‘adult’ fanfic, exactly?  Well, stories involving blatant sex scenes of course but anyone with half and ear to the ground would be forgiven for thinking that any kind of slash also qualifies.  Because it’s “not appropriate for children”.  Like homosexuality, apparently.

The thing is, maybe I wouldn’t mind so much except for the fact that the Potter books are the most sickeningly heteronormative things you’re ever likely to read this side of the 21st century.  Let’s not forget that the apparent sum total achievements of all the main characters can be boiled down to getting hitched at a ridiculously young age and squeezing out crotch droppings.  Think Hermione is pretty smart, do you?  Harry might have a bright future?  Draco could go far?  Well, forget about that, because apparently all these characters do in the next twenty years is have kids.  Potter’s own parents met at school and had children at twenty.  You know the last time that sort of shit was normal?  Circa 1950.  Nowadays if you’re married with children at that age people think there’s something wrong with you.  I’m not even going to mention Remus’ shotgun wedding to Tonks, because that’s just too easy.

But it’s more than just that, too, because it’s Dumbledore; a character that is completely asexual.  And that’s the stereotype, isn’t it?  You’re allowed to be gay so long as you don’t, you know, fuck men.¹  God only knows we wouldn’t want to expose the children to that idea.  And, you know, I almost bought the notion that it was never mentioned in the books because, well, it just didn’t come up.  And sure, kids don’t want to go around asking old people about who they shagged when they were young but… no, I don’t buy it.  Because it doesn’t pass the Normative Test; switch out the minority for a majority and see if your assumption is still true.  So, Grindelwald is a woman.  Is this mentioned in the books?  I mean, sure, obviously we don’t know but think about it; it adds just that extra little touch of melodrama (“Oh woe!  I love my worst enemy!”) that I just don’t buy that it wouldn’t have gone in at least in passing.

That’s the real question here, and the real thing that irks me.  It’s not about whether or not JKR just made this “up on the spot” to placate disaffected slash fans; I suspect she probably didn’t.  It’s about whether this is a shallow, token effort that ultimately reinforces negative stereotypes of homosexuality in mainstream texts and – as you’ve probably gathered – I think it does.  I mean, I doubt this kind of negative re-enforcement of the status quo was JRK’s intent, but… yeah.  It’s there.  This is no win for gay rights; not even close.

And in other news, I joined YourSite.nu.  But that’s a topic for another time, I think, because (hooray) it’s home time!

1. Or women, as it were. ^

• Tags » gender politics, harry potter, jkr, teh gay, yoursite.nu
• Comments By » ~Belinda [h]
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