Looks like I’m not the only one blogging on Cross Country Odyssey. Shortly after my meeting with Gateway Pundit at Kaldi’s Coffee House in St. Louis he made mention on the visit.
We had a great conversation about a great variety of topics, including the basic decency of George W. Bush and the general disappointment many conservatives feel about that man. Faulting Log Cabin for its ad attacking Mitt Romney, this fine Missouri blogger observed that the group needs do a better job of convincing Republicans that they are committed to the GOP, especially because many rank-and-file GOPers might be skeptical of gay people claiming to be Republicans.
A good point, especially given Log Cabin’s history of public criticism of the party it claims to support.
After meeting that Midwestern pundit, I headed west, crossing eastern Missouri while listening to the conclusion of Joseph Ellis‘s course on Patriots: Brotherhood of the American Revolution. I wish more Americans were familiar with the greatness of the founding and understood better the contrast between the differing visions of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, a tension we see even in contemporary debates. While these great men were often at odds over a great many issues, they worked together to secure our independence, were united in their love of our nation and renewed their friendship in the last decades of their lives.
Then, it was onto Beowulf, first listening to Robertson Dean’s reading of the Robert Gordon translation, then to Seamus Heaney’s reading of his own translation. I’ll have to say that while I thought I’d prefer the former, as it strives to more accurately translate the Old-Saxon language, I actually preferred the latter, even though the translation is less accurate. It’s just better poetry.
As I entered into Kansas, driving a stretch of I-70 I had driven numerous times, this being the first time I crossed eastern Kansas in the dark, my friend Sean called me to inform me J.K. Rowling told an audience recently that Albus Dumbledore of the Harry Potter books “is gay.” When I heard the news, it just made sense. There was something in the wise wizard’s manner which suggested a certain gay sensibility, but also a sense that he had somehow sublimated its sexual aspect.
Rowling said that the Hogwarts headmaster had once fallen for the charming Grindelwald who figures in the latest Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. “Let down” when he learned of his one-time beloved’s fascination with the Dark Arts, Dumbledore would work to destroy this man for whom he once had the most tender of affections.
A mark of that great wizard’s character–choosing to do what is right even it meant hurting the one he loved. I may have more to say about this at a later date.
As my journey nears its end, I’m beginning to wish it were longer, not only so that I had more time to spend with my family and friends, but because I do enjoy the open road, the chance to see this country and talk to people I might not otherwise meet. Even the banter tonight while checking into my hotel here in Salina, Kansas.
Tomorrow, it’s off to the Centennial State to have an early dinner with a dear aunt in Colorado Springs, then to overnight with her younger daughter in Denver before crossing the Rockies on Monday and returning to the Golden State.
Been enjoying your travel log.
As to Dumbledore, I admire and agree with your view of Dubledore as a Gay man who chose decency and doing the right thing, over protecting an evil man who was a former love interest.
Unfortunately, I doubt that will be the general feeling out there. The left will praise JKR for being so inclusive – when it was safe, i.e. long after the series is over, and with a character that was too old to be considered a sexual being in any event.
And the looney right who have been upset with all the magic, will now have another reason to condemn this excellent series.
I do hope you bring up the topic here at length in one of your posts, at least those of us who enjoy a good discussion will be able to do so, regardless of the views of the world at large.
I’m homesick
“Wichita Skyline” by Shawn Colvin.
I’m really homesick for Colorado.
Dan, if you keep posting links to such enticing audiobooks you’re going to bankrupt me! Still, what great works I’ll have to listen to in the poorhouse… 😉
Leah, excellent observations.
I’ve only seen a few of the movies and have not read any of the books. Is the fact that he’s gay integral to the character? Does it explain anything? Is it relevant?
I think it’s as relevant to his character as it is to Vanyel’s in Mercedes Lackey’s Last Herald Mage series.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to make a contriversial aspect of a character w/o others defining the character by that aspect. I mean I’m not a Potterhead, but if someone lets Dumbledor’s being a wizard overshadow his being a mentor and a teacher, a scholar and a gentleman, then they get caught up in an aspect and lose the whole picture.
as it is to Vanyel’s in Mercedes Lackey’s Last Herald Mage series.
Whatever that is.
Of course, all this would be of (questionable) significance (for HP fans) if it was something more than a cheap PR ploy.
Funny how she announces this at the launch of her USA book tour.
So when does she announce that Professor McGonagall is also gay. No mention of any love interests in her life. Or is it OK for a woman to be an old spinster, but if a man has gone through life without love interests that the public was aware of, then there must be a special reason.
It made me think less of Rowling. I tend to agree with 7 and 8, maybe wrongly, and see it as a cheap ploy to be politically correct. Very disappointing I thought that the author would pander to the left like this. Sad if that is her only view of male friendship… One pleasant part of my recent trip to China was that same sex touching did not have to have any meaning other than friendship. Men and women walk hand in hand as a sign of nothing more than that. It seems even in children’s books we’re lost that.
The Vanyel reference is to a popular series of fantansy books about a magical world. I’m afraid I disagree. The Vanyel story is written about a gay man while Dumbledore could be straight, gay, a eunuch or a hobbit fancier and it doesn’t really enter the story.
As to the Beowulf, I find even reading it to myself, being no fan of audio books, I find Heamus sounds better out loud. Kinda like the old Rubiyat translation or the King James… Fagales’ Aeneid struck me the other way – I’ve heard it is truer but “I sing of arms and the man” sounds better that Fagales “Wars and a man I sing of”
I was pleased to learn that Dumbledore is gay. I remember that while reading the last book, I thought the relationship described between Dumbledore and Grindelwald seemed a bit “gay.” Glad it wasn’t just my own projection. Sure would have been nice, however, if she had made it a bit clearer in the story — oh, can you imagine the outrage: a gay headmaster at a boarding school. Of course, Log Cabin would come to the rescue as they did years ago in California.
Speaking of LCR, I wish you’d give us a break. It’s a heck of a decent organization. Frankly, I sometimes get the impression that you believe gay Republicans should not stand up for ourselves, that we should just write checks to our leaders and accept our assigned seat. If LCR did not occasionally stand up for principles, I would neither respect them nor be a member. Romney lied to LCR. And again, in last night’s debate, he bashed gays in his most practiced, pander. I, for one, am glad LCR gave the man a black eye. In truth, it bothers me deeply that people in our own party — even some of our leaders — consider us the throw-away vote, less important than even, say, the Muslim vote. Maybe it’s not helpful, but, man, it just makes me want to take a swing at somebody.
Mike, I’d be happy when the LC(r)s return to the GOP fold and start acting like real Republicans. The Romney attack was cheap at best and offbase for a gay advocacy group within the Party… take Romney and Huckabee and Tancredo and Hunter on for any anti-gay attacks but don’t do it on abortion… or prayer in schools… or because they are conservationists and not enviro-eco purists.
And most importantly, if you are going to attack a fellow GOPer, do it for a good reason –not as a hired gun by those who want your Party to devolve into chaos and infighting.
I find it interesting that you think the LC(r) was “standing up for principles”. Didn’t you mean standing up for the GayLeft’s agenda?
I know Rowling has an enormous amount of backstory, and shes suggested she may publish it one day for charity. But my reaction was who cares?
She hasnt told us the sexuality of McGonnagal, Flitwick, Sprout (although she does smoke a pipe!), Slughorn, Trelawney, or even Voldemort for that matter. And for good reason, none of it has anything to do with the story. Only Snapes love for Lily was integral to the story and even that was unknown to the students.
And who says mcgonnagal was a spinster? she may be married for all we know. She didnt mention any of the teachers having significant others. Are we to believe they were all single?
I think she was correct to leave it out of the story as she left out all the other teachers sexuality. Its a childrens book. The idea that children should even be interested in the sexuality of their teachers is downright creepy to me. The activists trying to push sexuality creeps me out even more.
that should read: the activists trying to push sexuality on kids creeps me out even more
I’ve read all the books (yes, I admit it – and I loved them), and really I can’t see that “Dumbledore is gay” really adds anything to the storylines at all. It perhaps puts a twist on part of the story that is important in book 7, but really quite unnecessary.
Julie, I believe she made the announcement on the final stop of the U.S. book tour, not when it opened.
Don’t get me started, one of my many criticism’s of our education system. The need to sexualize life from the moment children are born. There is no mention of the sexuality of any of the teachers – which is as it should be, children view teachers as outside the realm of real life. They are always amazed when they bump into a teacher at the mall – how could they have any life outside of school?
So JKR got it right when all we knew about the teachers was in context of Hogwarts. So now, after the fact to add this politically correct aspect to Dumbledore – is very much a cheap shot. It creeps me out further, since the only strong emotional ties we see Dumbledore having after that are with Tom Riddle and Harry Potter, and I doubt that JKR has any intention of taking her gay character in that direction.
Matt, you sound angry with me. Don’t taze me, bro. I truly believe LCR did the right thing with the Romney ads. Romney can not win the nomination, and wouldn’t have a chance against Hillary, if he did. So … LCR’s “take this, sucker” ads have two positives: 1) payback for his lies to us. 2) LCR gets to take some (very) minor credit for Romney’s going down in flames. Additionally, it helps LCR with Giuliani’s camp, and Giuliani WILL be the nominee. Sure the ads were sneaky and off-point, but they did what they were meant to do: payback. I know, I know, that doesn’t make it right, but it felt sooooo good. 😉
Sorry about the delay to replying.
Maybe it’s an ‘outside looking in’ thing but to me, Vanyel’s orientation seemed secondary to his loyalty and lack of sex life in all. It was a component, not the main thing.
Another example was Northstar from Alpha Flight. (comic books) I ‘knew’ he was gay, and there were a bunch of lines and minor plots.
“since when did you not like men in form fitting costumes, brother?” sticks in my mind.
In fact, back in 85 they were going to kill him with AIDS but chickened out.
Compare this to the decision in the past decade to add Northstar to the X-men, “because we need a gay mutant’ it changes it from being part of the character to being the sole reason for the character to exist.
My long rambling point is, I don’t want people to diminsih the character to ‘Gay Wizard’ I’d hope that people see him as “Wizard, mentor, scholar, friend, who’s gay.”