One reporter reacts to JKR's revelations

[sistermagpie]

> Carol responds:
> There's also, of course, the question of whether sexuality of any 
kind
> belongs in books for young readers at all. (It isn't in the books
> themselves, except for snogging in hallways, only in the post-DH
> interview.)

Magpie:
Sexuality of any kind isn't the HP books? It's actually in the books 
a lot when it comes to straight characters. Off the top of my head, 
characters who have openly displayed or hinted at/made reference to 
attraction towards a person of the opposite sex in canon, with the 
attraction either being returned or not (and sometimes with 
references to actual physical stuff) include: Ron/Hermione, 
Harry/Ginny, Vernon/Petunia, Ron/Lavender, Harry/Cho, Cho/Cedric, 
Cho/Michael Corner, Ginny/Michael Corner, Ginny/Dean, Tonks/Remus, 
Sirius/random girls in magazines, Hephzibah Smith/Tom Riddle, 
Viktor/Hermione, Viktor/Ginny, Myrtle/Harry, Myrtle/Draco, 
Myrtle/Cedric, Arthur/Molly, Merope/Tom Riddle Sr., Tom Riddle 
Sr./Cecilia, Bloody Baron/Grey Lady, Pansy/Draco, Hagrid/Maxime, 
Ron/Fleur, Bill/Fleur, Harry and Ron/Veela cheerleaders, James/Lily, 
Many girls/Harry, Many girls/Viktor, Many girls/Cedric, 
Cormac/Hermione, Ron/Rosemerta, Romilda/Harry, Arthur/Molly, 
Lucius/Narcissa, Ted/Andromeda, Teddy/Victoire. (I'm being 
charitable by leaving out the obvious Aberforth/goat joke that goes 
over kids' heads, but not the heads of older readers.)

That's all sexuality. Dumbledore crushing on Grindelwald isn't any 
more sexuality than any of these. It's not more sexually explicit as 
these either, and less sexually explicit than some. 

Somebody not wanting sexuality in YA books is welcome to that 
opinion (and is probably very dissatisfied with the state of YA 
books at the moment), but anybody arguing that sexuality has no 
place in HP lost that battle years ago. This stuff not being 
sexuality because it's straight sexuality seems like straight 
privilege to me.

-m