the gay question (longish)

[ashley1591284 at cs.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 3968

Hi!  I've been a long-time lurker here, most of the time letting the digests 
pile up so far in my inbox that any comment that I would think to make has 
already been addressed by the time I get to it.  I thought I'd put my 
two-cents in on this one though....

In a message dated 10/18/00 12:21:11 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
HPforGrownups at egroups.com writes:

<< Bearing in mind the number of younger readers these books have, is it 
 feasible that JKR will write in several gay characters? Like it or 
 not, the introduction of a gay character would detract from the story 
 (unless you think JKR might be planning to out Harry in book 7, or 
 reveal that Dumbledore and Snape are longtime boyfriends).  Not only 
 would the author be treading on eggshells as she tried to deal with a 
 very sensitive topic, but also every hack journalist and `family 
 values' crusader would be on her case.  Of course, this is not a 
 *good* reason not to do it, but it is a likely reason she won't
 do it. >>

I argee that the introduction of a gay character would probably distract from 
the central plot, as well as bring the books under fire.  These books have 
raised a lot of controversey already from critics for religious reasons, 
violence, etc., and to introduce an issue of that magnitude would be all but 
devastating.  It's not right, or fair, but that's the way it is.  We have to 
remember that the HP books have a universal appeal, and although we, as older 
teens or adults, may thouroughly enjoy them, there are also an incredible 
number of kids that read them.  I understand the need for a positive 
gay/lesbian role model, but to introduce one into the Harry Potter series 
just doesn't work, for more reasons than one.  How would JKR be able to 
explain something like that in a way that would be benificial to the story?  
IMO, this is a sensitive issue that should be tackled on a more personal 
level, and I doubt that we'll see a character turn out to be gay.
-Ashley