It's been eight years since J.K. Rowling confirmed to the world that Dumbledore is gay, and affirmed her own status as an LGBT rights supporter and activist. The Harry Potter author has continued to defend her decision about her star character's sexuality, even taking to Twitter to talk to fans about why it's an important piece of his identity, as well as consistently maintaining her celebratory stance on equal rights for the LGBT community. This week, Rowling found herself in the middle of a maelstrom — and, once again, she shut down the haters in her signature sharp-witted fashion.
"Sitting here watching the Irish make history. Extraordinary and wonderful," the beloved writer tweeted after Ireland passed its gay marriage referendum. She followed that message up with another, which featured a meme of Keanu Reeves making a confused expression that reads, "What if Dumbledore and Gandalf were gay together." With a smattering of clover, heart, and rainbow emojis, she added: "Then they could get married IN IRELAND!"
This is where things start to go a little south. The Westboro Baptist Church — a religious group known for its outspoken anti-gay agenda — responded to Rowling's tweet on May 26, writing that if the two wizards were to marry in Ireland, WBC would be there to picket the union. Needless, incendiary social media post about a love affair between two fictional characters who never even met on the page? Check.
Rowling fired back an excellent response. "Alas, the sheer awesomeness of such a union in such a place would blow your tiny bigoted minds out of your thick sloping skulls," she tweeted to the WBC. Though she was criticized for even acknowledging the church's lame remark in the first place, she held her ground. "I don't care about WBC," she wrote. "I think it's important that scared gay kids who aren't out yet see hate speech challenged."
The lesson we learn from this incredible literary icon over and over again? Always stand up against ugliness in the world. In the end, it's always worth it.
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