A new clip from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore, the third in the new series, includes the first canon mention of Dumbledore’s sexuality 15 years after Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling said the character was gay in 2007.

In the clip, Jude Law as Dumbledore and Mads Mikkelson as series antagonist Grindelwald talk in a cafe. Dumbledore tries to persuade the dark wizard from carrying out a sinister plan that they both apparently set in motion, according to Grindelwald saying “it was you who said we would reshape the world.”

Dumbledore then responded with, “Because I was in love with you.”

Some fans are excited by the mention, but the simple mention of having a gay character in her movie isn’t particularly impressive by 2022’s standards. The inclusive message is also undermined by Rowling’s current online activity, as she has been accused of transphobia by many critics, and still stands behind all of her public statements on the matter.

Rowling still frequently writes arguments critical of transgender terminology couched in feminism. Some of her tweets on this matter are just downright bizarre, and she frequently engages with strangers that disagree with her.

These conversations about Rowling’s beliefs continue in online spaces, but the Wizarding World established in Harry Potter is still seemingly a gold-mine for casual viewers. Along with a fourth and fifth Fantastic Beasts movie still coming up after The Secrets of Dumbledore, the video game Hogwarts Legacy, an open-world RPG set in the titular wizarding school, is dropping this year.

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Jacob Linden

Article by Jacob Linden

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