• Today in Gay Irony: Out Sex and the City creator Darren Star's next pilot is based on a YouTube series called We Need Girlfriends.

• A columnist for the LA Times asks, "Is gay the new straight?" Yes ... that is, if "yes" is the new "no"...

• Harry Potter himself has noted that since he was outed, Dumbledore (aka Michael Gambon) has been "camping it up" on the set.

• Neil Patrick Harris pops up on Wheel of Fortune next week at Radio City. The look on the girl's face in that picture? You know he's totally pinching her tushie.

• ABC News, whose history with gay matters isn't exactly stellar, has been spotted in Alabama filming people's responses to the sight of two men kissing in public. How about people's responses to the sight of two anythings kissing in public? Eew...
  

One of the things I wonder about Bill O'Reilly (other than whether or not, like Tim Burton's Oogie Boogie, there is nothing but a mass of writhing maggots and worms under his skin) is if he understands the ramifications of what he says. His latest blatherings about the supposed controversy over J.K. Rowling confirming Harry Potter's Albus Dumbledore is gay is just the latest example.

To start with, he accuses Rowling of being a provocateur — a person who provokes trouble, causes dissension, or the like; agitator. How is that for hilarious? Methinks O'Reilly doesn't have the self-awareness of a sea slug. Then he says that Rowling is engaging in indoctrination by having Dumbledore come out now. And, of course, she's doing it all for the publicity because we all know how those Potter books have struggled to get noticed.

O'Reilly has said before he doesn't have a problem with gay people, that we should be tolerated and not gay-bashed. Well, at least those of us who aren't asking for it by being — shudder — activists. But if in O'Reilly's world it's "provocative" and "indoctrination" to have a gay character in a book like Harry Potter (hell, not even "in" since the books make no mention of Dumbledore's being gay) then when does he think it's all right for kids to know about gay people?

Should we be kept secret until a kid turns eighteen and then say, "Oh, by the way, there's this thing called homosexuality that you've never heard of. But don't be afraid of it or anything even though you've probably heard all kinds of anti-gay jokes and heard words like 'fag'. Gay people are fine really as long as they don't talk about it or want any rights."

Gee, Bill, if only we could go back in time to a place where that was how gay people were treated! If only we could see how such an approach would shape the attitudes of straight people toward gay people. Do you think straight men would be hostile toward and afraid of gay men? And do you think keeping gay kids in the dark about their own homosexuality would have an effect on their self-esteem and mental health? Might those kids grow up self-hating and prone to addictions?

Gosh, I guess we'll never know.

BTW, Dennis Miller totally cracked me up when he commented, "I'm bored with people's sexuality. I don't care if Dumbledore is gay." Spoken like a straight man who can go to a movie any day and see straight people, can turn on the TV any night and see straight people, and can kiss his wife anywhere in the world without a second thought. Idiot.

Harry Potter fansite The Leaky Cauldron has an interview with GLAAD director Sean Lund who discussed JK Rowling's recent announcement that Dumbledore is gay.

Lund compares the potential impact of Rowling's revelation to the romance between Willow and Tara on Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

"Joss Whedon, who revealed in a very gradual way and in a way incredibly authentic for that character that she was gay and introduced her girlfriend Tara, and the two of them became a really wonderful couple on that show. That was a really perfect example of how to do this sort of storytelling and how to create these characters right...

I think very much with how J.K. Rowling has brought Dumbledore out, I think that sort of quality of maintaining the authenticity and maintaining the truth of the character really goes a long way in terms of making sure people stay invested in those characters."

Lund also finds an optimistic perspective in Rowling keeping the information out of the books, saying that, at this point, it doesn't really matter. Even if it's not made clear in the books, anyone who reads them will view Dumbledore as a gay character thanks to the widespread media coverage:

"...for many readers who are coming into these stories now, they are coming into a series of books where the character of Dumbledore will always have been known to be gay...

It sends a message that heroes and people who we respect, and people that we look up to, come in all different shapes and sizes. And I think for the readers of the books, for the people who will see the movies in the future, I think that's a tremendously important message for them to carry forward."

Finally, Lund emphasizes one of the greater messages of Rowling's books is one of general inclusiveness, a lesson, that if understood fully, leads to LGBT tolerance:

"I think one of the most important themes of the Harry Potter books is J.K. Rowling's message about making sure that we treat all people, whether they are the same as us, or whether they are different than us, with dignity and respect.

The comments section is overwhelmingly positive but one commenter made a very interesting observation, one that certainly adds some additional depth to Dumbledore even if that's all based in fan speculation:

"She has now given Albus’ DoB as 1881 (no birthday yet), meaning that the events surrounding Gellert’s visit and the deaths of Kendra and Ariana are conceived of as happening in 1899, when Oscar Wilde was wandering Europe after his release from Reading Gaol before his death the following year. In other words, a very different world from our own, folks.

By the time homosexual activity between consenting adults was leagalised in the UK in 1967, Dumbledore would have been 86 and Hogwarts’ headmaster for some years."

• Hey -- did you know that we're recapping Dante's Cove? A little less pickle, but a lot more entertaining.

• Apparently Miss J from America's Next Top Model has said in an interview that he is straight and has a child. Boy ... my gaydar is even worse than Tyra's!

• Given their track record, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if this was Heroes' version of introducing a transgender character...

• Fox's Bill O'Reilly proves a zebrass never changes its stripes as he accuses J.K. Rowling of indoctrination, being a provocateur, and "dropping the gay bomb". At least he's consistent.

Let me be upfront about one thing right away — I'm not a fan of Harry Potter. Even though I'm a pretty big fan of fantasy, and even though I've tried several times, I just can't get into the books. That being said, I am a huge fan of J.K. Rowling.

What's not to love about this woman who, through sheer grit and determination, created what is probably the most popular children's book series of all time? Plus she's a bleeding heart liberal who says her own books are all about tolerance.

And on a more personal note, several years ago I accompanied Brent on a book tour of his through Northern California that just happened to have us trailing a week or two behind Rowling as she promoted one of her books. And all we heard were great things about her from the bookstores we visited. We heard tales about how she stayed at each store no matter how long it took to make sure every kid got a signed copy of the book. She was unfailingly gracious and always appreciative of all the folks who made her such a success. Everyone told us the lady just oozed class and, trust me, we've heard plenty of horror stories about other authors.

It's true Harry Potter fans — J.K. Rowling has outed Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts as gay! We've got all the details over on the mainpage!

Given the response to yesterday's spoilery post on Harry Potter (which has details about the last book, so be careful!), we thought we'd post some other Harry-related materials here and let those who don't want the big fancy ending of the lovable teen pagan saga ruined discuss the rest of the series here. So if you wanna chat HP movies or general stuff not directly related to the epic ending where Ron has to save Harry and Hermione from the Nazis by opening the Ark of the Covenant (oops!), feel free to do so below -- and in the meantime, enjoy these goodies!

• Harry Potter and the Hogwarts Dance Team dance an enthusiastic (and elaborate!) routine to "Holdin' On for a Hero," "Beat It," and "Let's Hear it For the Boy." Yes, it is as awesome as it sounds.
• From The Soup: Gay Harry Potter. "Don't ask, don't spell."