Gender balance

[Scott]

No: HPFGUIDX 14792

Ender posed the question:
"I don't want to start the debate on whether or not there are strong 
female characters in Harry Potter, but this topic did bring to mind a 
question that has been on my mind for a while and I'd like to see 
what y'all think: Do you think that the Harry Potter series would 
have become as popular as it is if Harry had been a girl? (with a 
different name of course)."

--I don't know. I think that I would have still read the books 
despite the gender of the protagonist. As I'd guess most of us would 
have, but little kids? I doubt it. I can't see most little boys 
reading a book about Harrieta Potter.

Jo's been asked this question before and I believe she said 
(paraphrase) "By the time I stopped to think why Harry wasn't a girl 
I realised that he was already too real to me and if I'd changed him 
he'd always have been in drag." 

(That was a REALLY rough paraphrase...)

Scott