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J.K. Rowling stays positive in her Twitter discussion with a fan

When a fan questioned Rowling's statement that she envisioned 'Harry Potter' character Dumbledore as gay, the author replied that 'gay people just look like ... people.' 'Amazing answer,' the fan replied.

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Dan Hallman/Invision/AP
J.K. Rowling is the author of the 'Harry Potter' novels and the Cormoran Strike series, among other works.
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling recently interacted with a fan on Twitter who had a question about a character’s sexuality. 

Rowling revealed after the seventh and final “Potter” book was published that she envisioned wise wizard Albus Dumbledore, who acts as a mentor to Harry, as gay. A fan recently tweeted at Rowling, writing, “I wonder why you said that Dumbledore is a gay because I can’t see him in that way.” (The tweet has now been deleted.)

Rowling replied,

The interaction was interesting because it wasn’t just another case of a fan criticizing an author, particularly over the often controversial topic of sexuality. Because the user who tweeted at Rowling deleted his or her side of the conversation, many missed the reply by the user, who told Rowling, “Amazing answer.... Yes you are absolutely right. Such an inspiration!!!” 

Rowling herself stressed how positive the interaction was, pointing her Twitter followers to an article in The Independent, which included the user’s reply to her.

Since releasing the last “Potter” book, Rowling has released the novel “The Casual Vacancy” and the first two books in what she says will be a series about private detective Cormoran Strike, which she initially published under a pseudonym. The writer is also working on the screenplay for a movie adaptation of her book “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” which takes place in the “Potter” world and will follow a wizard living decades before Harry.

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