‘Fantastic Beasts The Crimes of Grindelwald’ won’t focus on Dumbledore’s homosexuality, liberals are upset
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is being labeled “…a disappointment before it’s even released” as news arrives that Dumbledore’s homosexuality will not be central to the new film.
Director David Yates tells EW that J.K. Rowling revealing that Albus Dumbledore was gay, and he specifically had a love affair with Gellert Grindelwald in his youth, is not a big part of this film.
“Not explicitly,” Yates replied when asked if the film makes it clear that Dumbledore is gay. “But I think all the fans are aware of that. He had a very intense relationship with Grindelwald when they were young men. They fell in love with each other’s ideas, and ideology and each other.”
Yates then added a bit more about what Dumbledore is like in the new film: “He’s a maverick and a rebel and he’s an inspiring teacher at Hogwarts. He’s witty and has a bit of edge. He’s not this elder statesman. He’s a really kinetic guy. And opposite Johnny Depp as Grindelwald, they make an incredible pairing.”
Johnny Depp playing the villain, so fans wanted some sort of love affair and are increasingly disappointed that the Harry Potter franchise won’t get some elicit homosexual messages.
Collider takes aim at Rowling: “The frustration here is that Rowling would like credit for creating an inclusive world where the villains are people who seek to exclude others whether it’s Grindelwald or Voldemort, who both believe that wizards should rule over muggles, and Voldemort’s belief that only ‘pure-blood’ wizards are worth protecting. And yet when given the option to actually be inclusive, Rowling hedges. She’s the screenwriter here, and given her reputation, she has a lot of power in her relationship with Warner Bros. But instead, she decides to keep Dumbledore closeted for the benefit of no one.”
” is nothing short of cowardice,” writes the homosexual writer at NewStatesman. “Sure, if Yates had gone with the gay thing, the backlash would probably have been considerable. But a children’s film with an L, G, B or T protagonist would be a revolutionary first. So far, the closest we’ve come to this kind of representation is a couple of seconds in Pixar’s 2016 film Finding Dory in which two gay mums appear then disappear, leaving behind an almost untraceable amount of gay. Which is to say, kids watching the film – the very people who need to be told queer is cool and fine – aren’t going to notice a single thing.
“… but it still seems we haven’t moved past the pernicious idea that homosexuality is nothing more than rollicking anal sex. Which is (obviously) not in any sense a bad thing, but definitely not something we’re going to see simulated in a Harry Potter spin-off any time soon.”
That’s what the Harry Potter franchise needs, some anal sex.
Here’s how Rowling herself responded on Twitter: “Being sent abuse about an interview that didn’t involve me, about a screenplay I wrote but which none of the angry people have read, which is part of a five-movie series that’s only one instalment in, is obviously tons of fun, but you know what’s even *more* fun?” – @jk_rowling
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens November 16th.
