Harry Potter fans who have long speculated about the sexuality of the wizard Albus Dumbledore don’t have to wonder any longer – author J.K. Rowling has confirmed that the Hogwarts headmaster is gay.

Rowling made the revelation at New York’s Carnegie Hall during her North American book tour, in response to an audience question about whether Dumbledore ever found “true love.”

“I always thought Dumbledore is gay,” the author told the packed house.

She went on to explain that the character had fallen in love as a young man with Gellert Grindelwald. Grindelwald was later drawn to the dark arts, leaving Dumbledore “horribly, terribly let down.

“Falling in love can blind us to an extent,” the author said.

The love turned into a “great tragedy,” said Rowling, as the good wizard was eventually forced to do battle with the evil Grindelwald.

The audience first gasped in reaction to Rowling’s revelation, then applauded.

“I would have told you earlier if I knew it would make you so happy,” Rowling said.

The author added that she always thought of her novels as a “prolonged argument for tolerance.”

Harry Potter fan sites have long speculated about Dumbledore’s sexuality, due in part to his mysterious past and lack of ties with female characters.

According to Rowling, she had already told David Yates, the director of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” about Dumbledore’s sexuality. The author saw a scene in the script in which Dumbledore reminisced about an attraction to a young woman. She said she crossed it out and wrote “Dumbledore is gay” over that part of the script.

The sixth installment of the Harry Potter series is set to hit theatres late next year.

Rowling is currently giving readings of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the last book in the series. Her cross-continent tour brings her to Toronto next week, where she will appear at the International Festival of Authors.






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