Rowling's Wide Stance

Author J.K. Rowling takes the initiative in declaring the sexual orientation of one of her beloved characters. This has shocked the fan fiction community, who for so long have assumed it was their right to make their own baseless and unfounded assumptions about fictional characters they had no part in creating.

To see more of August J. Pollak's cartoon "Some Guy With a Website," check out the archive.

Comments

[elloyd74]

Another comic strip's take on Dumbledore's outing:

http://shelfcheck.blogspot.com/2007/10/shelf-check-114.html

[ShawnMichel]

I admire Rowling's courage. It was a brilliant move.

Fan fiction writers are leeches, nothing more. The author of the blog does an appropriate job in slamming them. Well done.

As for those who slam the series itself, one can only say: your idiocy is showing. Best hide it.

SMdM

[Aster]

You, um, you do know most m/m fanfiction writers are female, right? Like, %95?

Then again, most of THEM are jumping for joy about all this.

[animatedAlan1113]

The idea of "Batman on Robin action" (a shudder-inducing phrase for the "ick factor" alone) is certainly nothing new. In the 1940's, Dr. Fredric Wertham posited that notion in his book, "Seduction of the Innocent". And as a Star trek fan, I have heard of the Kirk-Spock fan fiction for years. I love the cartoon. I couldn't possibly care less about Dumbledore's sexuality. The fact that Rowling actually had to TELL us about it is an indication that it doesn't matter in the slightest. Which is what sexuality SHOULD be about. It is just one small part of a person.

[Observer1]

Well,that's it. I was busy this week contemplating China's new direction and the possibility of Bush starting WW 111, but the importance of this news has pushed me over the edge.

[ramblinchuck]

So Dumb-Old-Bore is gay? Rowling is a lot smarter than people might think. Now that the series is over, she has to do something to keep the illusion going with a "secret" revelation. Harry Potter is the Beanie Babies of the literary world, made to be consumed, then when everybody has their fill, it's over. So Rowling tries to prolong her moment of fame for just a little longer. Yawn.

[dreamer marie]

Dude, you have no idea what you're talking about: the Harry Potter fan community has been celebrating Dumbledore's gayness all week-end and writing Dumbledore/Grindlewald smut.

[SouthJerseySteve]

I already know of some right wingnuts who want to band all Harry Potter books from the library because JK Rowling promotes witchcraft instead of Christianity.

[pdxuser]

The "wide stance" title isn't right. If that term should even be applied to anyone beyond Larry Craig, it should be reserved as an insult for politicians whose level of denial becomes ridiculous, or, if you believe there's something that warrants insulting them, closeted gay people. But to just apply it to anything gay seems to imply that seediness, perversion, or general ridicule goes hand-in-hand with homosexuality when there are plenty of general epithets for gay people available already.

[August J. Pollak - Huffpost Blogger]

The title was a play on Rowling taking a stance on one of her character's sexual preferences- something usually restricted to the overly wild imaginations of fan fiction writers.

That sad, the cartoonist offers his thanks for setting a new record in being offended by his strip before even getting past the title.

[pdxuser]

I thought the cartoon itself was a funny insight, actually. The definition creep of "wide stance" into all-purpose synonym for gay was something I picked up on from HuffPo, which pointed it out when the New York Post quickly converted the term into something to be used generally for all those the paper had previously described as simply "limp-wristed" and "swishy."

[CJGibson]

Perhaps it should be "Rowling's Wild Stance"

[dadw5boys]

ROLMAO! I LOVED THAT SLAP IN THE FACE TO ALL THE NUT CASES.
GREAT!

[BlackJAC]

Which nutcases: the extreme right or the fanboys?

[newunderground]

I heard that Mitch McConnell has a thing for Dimbeldore, and Denny Hastert...