Harry Potter and the Half-Hidden Subtext?

I agree Brent.  Those familiar with the story know that young Tom Riddle was living in a Muggle orphanage.  "Different" in this context is a clear reference to the fact that Dumbledore and Tom are both Wizarding folk, as opposed to the Muggles that Tom has grown up surrounded by.

Sure, that could be seen as a gay metaphor, just like the whole mutant thing in the X-Men comics and movies is.  But the reality is that we see plenty of heterosexuality in both story worlds so I don't think that either group of unusual people is an explicit metaphor for homosexuality.

As a big harry potter fan I have to say that I´ve never liked the movies, I always felt that Dumbledore was a much wathered down version of his self from the books, and I think that the gay subtext might be there effectively. After watching the trailer I went to get my copy of the sixth book and that part was rewritten for the movie. In the book he says much more directly to Tom Riddle that he is a wizard, he does not say that he is ´different´.

 

Also I don´t know if it´s the actor that plays dumbledore or if the director wanted it that way but dumbledore comes off as much dumber in the movies... is it just me or are there others that think likewise? 

I believe that line is directly out of the book. It's clear, even in the context of the trailer, that "different" is very specifically in the context of being wizards.

The author of the piece, Choire Sich, appears to have a bit of a hard on for teh gays. I'm not sure if it's an O'Reilly style hard on or a Perez Hilton style one, but, frankly, I stopped caring two paragraphs into the second blog post I sampled.

I would remind everyone that this is exactly the kind of crap that was addressed in the TCA post on Sanctuary. Metaphorical subtext isn't gay content. It's metaphorical subtext that can be applied to the gay experience, generally much like it could be applied to the Jewish experience. If Rowling had breathlessly revealed Dumbledore was Jewish in that reading, would the scene in the trailer have read any differently? Considering the use of fire, it might even be more apt.

If J.K. Rowling hadn't made her announcement, it would never have occurred to Choire Sicha to write that blurb.

What some people won't do for attention...

-Sibelius

"It's curtains for you, Dr. Horrible. Lacy, wafting curtains..."

Is such a talented actor that I can see we will still be discussing this long after the film is released.  To most Americans all the British come across as too effete to be straight and yet they continue to multiply like all the other countris of the world. 

Would Dumbledore actually drag his sexuality out in front of his young charges, wizard or not?  His sexuality is only in the backstory per J.K. Rowling.  I don't recall any line in the book like, "Harry, will you please wait outside while Ifinish spooging this hot Quiditch player."

I mean, if Rowling hadn't said that she liked to think Dumbledore had a gay relationship when he was younger would the character read at all gay?  I mean, any more than most wizards?