open letter to JKR

[Schlobin at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 155542






An Open  Letter to J.K. Rowling – I trust you to do the right  thing! 
Okay, I’m 55, I’ve been reading your books from the beginning, and I run  an 
internet list serve called Harry  Potter for Grownups over 40. My entire 
family, my partner, my 8 year old son  and my 6 year old daughter have read the 
books over and over and over again,  heard both versions of the tapes (when too 
young to read), seen the movies and  play our own version of HP Trivia 
constantly.   
I’m a  fanatic. I love your books. 
Now, I  know that you are a progressive who believes in social justice, 
bravery,  fighting for what’s right, loyalty to friends, doing the right thing – 
it oozes  out of every page in every one of your remarkable books.  
You are clear about how the  wizards and witches have oppressed and 
mistreated other magical creatures  (goblins, giants, elves, centaurs, etc.).  
I quote you! “…. bigotry is  probably the thing I detest most. All forms of 
intolerance, the whole idea of  ‘that which is different from me is necessary 
evil.’ I really like to explore  the idea that difference is equal and good….”
 Entertainment Weekly,  9/7/2000. 
One of the most despicably  evil characters in your book is Delores Umbrage, 
a pillar of the Ministry for  Magic, who despises half breeds, enacts laws 
against werewolves, ridicules and  persecutes Hagrid (culminating with an attack 
designed to send him to Azkaban  for no reason at all), and who calls the 
Centaurs filthy  half-breeds. 
When  Hagrid is outed as a half giant, the trio leaps to his defense, as does 
Albus  Dumbledore. Olympe Maxime may initially succumb to internalized 
oppression  (believing what the wizarding world says about her and denying her true 
identity  as a half giant). But then, we witness her personal transformation – 
moving to  embracing her giant side she travels with Hagrid as an ambassador 
from the  wizarding world to the Giants, who as a race are almost gone. 
Remus  Lupin is the victim of vicious prejudice against werewolves – unable 
to get a  job, becoming more and more poor, shunned by many. 
Although we are invited to laugh at Hermione who goes a little over the  edge 
with SPEW…we see that the House Elves ARE treated cruelly and indifferently  
by the wizard world. We see the excesses of barbarism – Sirius Black’s Aunt  
Elladora who instituted the practice of beheading house elves when they got 
too  old … Barty Crouch, Sr., gets rid of Winky despite her many years of 
service in  keeping his secrets and caretaking his son. Hermione’s obsession with 
the  welfare of House Elves becomes more and more reasonable, and less and less  
silly.  
You are  particularly clear about racial prejudice and discrimination based 
on ancestry.  The evil guys in your book – Draco Malfoy and Lucius Malfoy for 
example - are  obsessed with their “pure blood.” They ignore the 
contradictions in their own  bigotry – they ignore that Tom Riddle, styling himself as Lord 
Voldemort, is  himself a half blood. They despise blood traitors like the 
Weasleys, themselves  pure blood who take the side of not only mudbloods and half 
bloods but of  MUGGLES…… Sirius Black’s mother obliterates such trash by 
blasting their names  out of the family quilt. 
You are  clear about how some members of the privileged class (Weasleys, and I
’m assuming  Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall are also pure bloods) use 
their privilege to  assist the oppressed giants, elves, goblins, Mudbloods, and 
half  bloods. 
It’s  obvious that you are a feminist. The first three books saw women in 
quite  limited roles (with the exception of Hermione) and defined primarily by 
their  relationship to men.  Yet, starting  in the Goblet of Fire, and breaking  
out big time in the Order of the  Phoenix,  women and girls start coming into 
their own. Hermione masterminds how to tell  the wizarding world the truth 
about Harry’s experiences witnessing the return of  Lord Voldemort, and squashes 
Rita Skeeter. Ginny comes into her own as more than  someone who is crushed 
out on Harry – she is outspoken, an outstanding Quidditch  player, inspired 
caster of bat bogey curses and other hexes. Professor  McGonagall charges 
heroically into battle to defend Hagrid when he is attacked  in the OoP. Luna 
Lovegood and  Nymphadora Tonks are new wonderful female characters. I have imagined 
that you  heard some feminist critiques of the first few books, were annoyed, 
but still  listened, which resulted in the changes in the last few books. 
<If  we had any doubt that you were a feminist, then came your comment about 
thin and  fat women, couched in the most authentic and sincere comments about 
your  daughters. Right on.> 
You  celebrate resistance to tyranny and injustice – the wonderful student 
uprising  against Umbrage, Dumbledore’s Army, Fred and George’s dramatic flight 
from  Hogwarts…. 
And of  course, the whole character of Harry Potter is shaped by the 
injustice done to  him by Vernon  and Petunia Dursley – who abuse, neglect, scapegoat 
and ignore him. Harry’s  resistance to their maltreatment of him grows as he 
gains power, support, and a  sense of how truly valuable an individual he is. 
So,  I’ve got to ask you to go the next step. 
There  really needs to be a lesbian and/or gay male character in the Harry 
Potter  series. And…as everyone in the whole world knows, there’s only one more 
book to  go. It’s possible that your original visualization of the HP 
universe did not  include any giblet characters. I don’t know. 
Perhaps  there is no out lesbian and gay character because you wrote the 
books from  Harry’s point of view, AND he is just discovering his own sexual 
orientation and  feelings, and does not see or perceive any same gender pairings, 
so there are  none in the book. 
Or –  could this be a publisher’s ban, like the ban on profanity? 
I KNOW  you do not buy into the right wing crap that says that the books don’
t include  “controversial topics” such as abortion, incest, drug abuse or 
homosexuality.  Unlike too many of your right wing critics, I DO read the books. 
First, you do  talk about drug abuse – Winky is addicted to butterbeer, Madame 
Trelawney is  addicted to sherry, and Sirius smells of alcohol in his despair 
and isolation at  Grimmauld  Place. Second, it is true you do not discuss 
birth  control, abortion, portray teenagers as having sex, or portray any 
explicit  sexual activity at all.  
BUT you  do show the kids having crushes, dates, holding hands, and kissing, 
and show  some good and bad examples of mixed gender couples (Weasleys, 
Dursleys, Potters,  etc.) Of course you know that our sexual orientation is just one 
part of our  lives and identities as lesbians or gay men, and that in 
creating a lesbian or  gay character (or outing one that already exists) you do not 
need to discuss  their sexual practices. (anymore than you discuss Molly and 
Arthur’s sexual  practices other than the fact that he calls her Mollywobbles in 
private). You  know that lesbians and gay men are not “flaunting our sexuality
” by holding  hands or doing things that mixed gender couples often do 
without thinking twice  about it. So that can’t be your reason. 
I KNOW  (because I know your values) that you do not believe that people who 
are  lesbians or gay men are deviant, or sinful, or damned, or unnatural. I 
know that  you’re aware that lesbians and gay men are like everyone else – some 
bad, and  some good. I know you understand that lesbians and gay men are not 
child abusers  anymore than heterosexual women and men are child abusers. I 
know that you  understand that child rape is a barbarous act that cuts across 
lines of sexual  orientation and that most of it is committed by men against 
girls.  
I KNOW  that you are not a bigot.  
Many of  us were very hopeful when we saw the movie the Prisoner of Azkaban. 
It was reported  that you approved many of director’s Alphonse Cuaron’s minor 
changes from the  book that showed up in the film. So when we saw Lupin 
portrayed as the  quintessential gay man (limping away as in Goodbye Mr. 
Chips..file in), and when  Severus snapped that (Sirius and Remus) were “quarrelling 
like an old married  couple,” we really hoped that Sirius and Remus – two guys 
who loved each other –  would be revealed as gay men. 
We were  disappointed when in the Half Blood  Prince, Remus got involved with 
Tonks. But never fear…there is a rationale  here. Many gay men have at one 
point been involved with women, and tons of  lesbians have been involved with 
men (compulsory heterosexuality). So Lupin  could have been in love and involved 
with Sirius as a youth, and later turned to  women, or whatever. NO PROBLEM! 
Here’s  why we urgently need you to have a positive lesbian or gay male 
character in the  last book (and we’d welcome a bisexual or transgender character,  
too!) 
1)      Many of us  lesbians and gay men have kids. In the U.S., the 2000 
census reported  601,209 lesbian gay households with kids – and that’s just who 
decided to come  out to the government!  (And  remember, lesbian and gay 
teenagers are more likely to be children of  heterosexuals than lesbians and gays) 
One study in Scotland found that more than 20% of  lesbian and gay people have 
children.  Some of us lesbians have children by men  in prior relationships. 
Some of us did artificial insemination. Some lesbians  and gay men have done 
surrogate parenting. Some of us (including me) have  adopted children. 
Our  children urgently need reassurance that their parents are okay. As my 
kids read  and absorb the Harry Potter series, it is hard for them not to see 
any families  like their own.  
2)      There is a  tremendously high rate of suicide, suicide attempts, and 
other self destructive  acts among lesbian and gay youth. You have the power 
to send these children and  these youth the message that they are OK, and that 
they are valuable, wonderful,  amazing lovable people. 
3)      There are many  adult lesbians and gay men who still believe on some 
level that they are  unnatural, or condemned by God, or lesser in some way. 
You have the power to  mitigate those feelings. 
So what  if your publisher objects..I think you have the leverage. 
So what  if the right wing across the globe goes bananas, it can’t hurt you. 
So,  please, please, please…..consider my request. 
And  from the bottom of my heart, thank you for the joy and wonder you have 
brought  to me, my partner, my children, and the world. 
Love,  
Susan  McGee 
P.S.  Please tell me that Snape is not really evil. 
Those  signing this petition ask J.K. Rowling to consider including a lesbian 
or gay  male character in her next book (but do not necessarily agree with 
every single  point in the letter). 
Petition available at 
_http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/jkrlesbiangaybook7_ (http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/jkrlesbiangaybook7) 


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