Albus Dumbledore, the Gay Blade

Thankfully, something has moved Britney from the headlines.

Dumbledore's gay! OMG!

Please do not lose any sleep over this. After all, this is a fictional character we're talking about.

Salon.com carries an article outlining the release of information: the outing, if you will.

During a speaking engagement at Carnegie Hall in New York, author J. K Rowling responded to a question from the audience, of whether or not Albus Dunbledore, the headmaster of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, had ever been in love. Rowling's words were: "I always thought of Dumbledore as gay."

Of course, that doesn't mean that he wasn't in love, as Rowling was quick to elaborate. "Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald."

Gellert Grindelward a character mentioned in the first book, but not fully described until the seventh, was a dark wizard who'd been expelled from Durmstrang Academy. Rowling referred to the love as a "great tragedy" that blinded a young Dumbledore to Grindelwald's true nature, which was dark and evil.

I'll try not to put in any spoilers.

In Book 7, we learn of Dumbledore's youthful friendship with Gellert Grindelwald. They were teenagers, and Dumbledore's fascination with Grindelwald caused him to neglect his duties. "The boys took to each other at once," according to Grindelwald's aunt (pg 356 of HP & the Deathly Hallows).

"Yes, even after they'd spent all day in discussion--both such brilliant young boys, they got on like a cauldron on fire--I'd sometimes hear an owl tapping at Gellert's bedroom window, delivering a letter from Albus!"

Of course, everyone is going to re-read the books looking for hints, and no doubt reading them into places where they may or may not exist.

David Thewlis, who plays the werewolf Professor Lupin, gave this reaction. And links to more news and reactions abound, I'm sure. My favorite Potter site, The Leaky Cauldron, has quite a few.

According to USA Today, Rowling's publisher Scholastic, was taken by surprise by the news.

The Salon.com article previously cited (by Rebecca Traister) worries that Rowling will say too much--not necessarily about who's gay and who isn't, but about all her characters. She urges her to let go, recalling how J.R.R. Tolkien spent his whole life fussing over Middle Earth.

IMHO, Rowling has held back for so long that she's entitled to say whatever she wants during her brief "victory tour" this year.

Just for the record, 11 million copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows were sold during its first 24 hours of release last summer. I don't think it would've sold any fewer had the news about Dumbledore's sexual orientation leaked out earlier. Rowling's announcement at Carnegie hall met with shock at first, and then such cheering and ovations that she said, "I would have told you earlier if I'd known it would make you so happy."