Knight also can't wrap his brain around the idea that homosexuality isn't synonymous with risky sex and self-hatred.
I've never read a Harry Potter book. I've never seen a Harry Potter movie. I've never eaten the Harry Potter Bertie Bott's jelly beans that are supposed to taste like dirt and vomit.
Still, I'm all too aware of Harry Potter's grip on the world's literary consciousness. Not that I have anything against him or his creator J.K. Rowling. In fact, I think the series is great for two reasons: 1) It has people of all ages actually reading books, and 2) It pisses off the conservative right.
And now that Rowling has outted Dumbledore, it pisses them off more than ever.
Robert H. Knight director of the vaguely named Culture & Media Institute, railed against the Dumbledore disclosure in an Oct. 24 opinion piece. He called the announcement a "promotional ploy."
"My guess is that she made her shocking revelation in order to pander to the cultural elites who regard celebration of homosexuality as a mark of sophistication," Knight wrote. "It's the ultimate liberal litmus test, and it drives a wedge between traditional religious believers and the hip, kaleidoscopic sexual deviancy that is engulfing us from every which way."
Wow, Knight sees sex "engulfing" him "from every which way," eh? Well, some folks see what they want to see…
"The news may well lead to another run on the book series, with sexually confused kids and the Village People desperately seeking clues to Dumbledore's closeted adventures," Knight wrote.
Yes, "sexually confused kids" will now seek out these elusive Harry Potter books in order to learn about homosexuality through the guise of a pretend wizard. And how many members were there in the Village People? Six? Not exactly a market worth pulling a publicity stunt for.
Knight repeated the "sexually confused" kids message during an interview on MSNBC's Live with Dan Abrams. When Abrams glibly said, "So what?" to Dumbledore's outting, Knight replied, "It may not mean much to you but to have sexually confused boys look at this and say gee maybe I should try it because after all this authority figure is into it. You're not going to be around Dan, when they come down with STDs and have all sorts of emotional problems. This is not a happy lifestyle."
Give me a break. First of all, homosexuality isn't something you "try out." Sex acts, on the other hand (of which none are attributed to Dumbledore), are. To Knight, gay people and sex acts between gay people are the same thing. While Knight thinks "anal sex" every time he hears "gay" the kids who were in the audience when Rowling made the announcement most likely don't, just as they don't look at, say, George W. and Laura Bush and think "missionary position."
Knight also can't wrap his brain around the idea that homosexuality isn't synonymous with risky sex and self-hatred. Gays have come a long way through the years. Why, many even want to get married and have kids. But then, for Knight, that's the whole problem.
