I am so happy. There is a gay couple in canon after all.

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 178276

Susan McGee:
> It's interesting, Tonks. I have some areas of agreement with you.
> I think celibacy is a fine choice...and I do think our American 
> popular culture is oversexualized. (Although I have met lots of young 
> people who argue that people should not be defined as gay, straight, 
> bi, etc., and that gender identity should be fluid).

<snip>
> ***********
> I agree with others that it would have been far better had JKR not 
> created a "heteronormative" universe....where only heterosexuality is 
> seen, and that it would have been better to include a few lesbian and 
> gay characters here and there, kissing, or dating...otherwise you 
> have a witch/wizard versus muggle scenario...lesbians and gays are 
> among us, but are invisible. (Although I'll argue that Prof. Grubbly-
> Plank was trans).

Pippin:
Professor Grubbly-Plank at least did not come to
a tragic end of any kind. But if JKR had shown her, or Gilderoy Lockhart,
engaged in same sex activity then it would have looked like flagrant  
stereotyping, OTOH, as she didn't, we're not sure what their orientation
was. In the WW it doesn't seem to matter.  But I can imagine what
Uncle Vernon would assume. <g> 

The trouble is, JKR can conjure a gender-blind universe, but she
can't create a gender-blind readership. She can't do anything about
gay-hating straights or self-hating gays who  attribute negative 
behavior to gayness, closeted or not.  

Also, as you say, teenage sexual identity can be fluid, so if Harry had
noticed some same sex student couples, it would be hard to know 
whether they were gay or just experimenting. 

And if it had been announced that there was going to be a gay couple
in canon, we'd have been speculating about that instead of who is
good or evil, or who is going to die. IMO, that would have taken us
away from the story much more than any afterwords of JKR. While
I get that some folks seem to think she's acting like an intrusive
waiter in a restaurant, not only asking us how we liked the food
but presuming to tell us how we should enjoy it, I think it'd be
pretty absurd to treat her as if she's the one person in the 
universe who's not allowed to have an opinion about the books!

Susan:
> ....As for those who argue that Lupin was in fact another gay man, I 
> think I agree. His greatest joy seemed to come from his son. Now I AM 
> wondering why he showed up with Sirius in the afterlife. I understand 
> why Harry's parents and Sirius showed up, they were the three adults 
> who were closest to him, but was he that close to Lupin?

Pippin:
I got the impression Lupin's sexual identity was fluid, unlike Sirius
who definitely had more of a gay vibe, especially in the Worst 
Memory where he ignored the girls making eyes at him. But,
um, being a metamorphmagus surely Tonks could change her
physical sexual characteristics if desired? Talk about infinite
variety! (Sorry if that's squicky to anyone. But we do have people
changing sex via polyjuice.)

Lupin made Harry Teddy's godfather. I think JKR wanted readers
to have the assurance that Lupin would understand that Harry was 
choosing to put himself in harm's way for the same reason that 
Lupin had, so that Teddy could have a better world to grow up in.

It's different from fleeing domestic responsibilities to seek
adventure. 

Pippin