As Dumbledore said in the first book in the series, “The truth is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should be treated with great caution.” Yes; hopefully, we can?all?do much better.

Clearly, Samiksha Tarun did not do her research for her article on J.K. Rowling’s revelation of?Albus Dumbledore’s homosexuality (“Albus Dumbledore’s coming out calls for re-evaluating role models,” Oct. 26).?It seemed that she?didn’t even bother to read any of the news articles posted on the Internet about the matter, nor any of Rowling’s own statements. The first thing that bothers me is that she?is under the impression that?there is a “raw simplicity to the protagonists in the novel. Harry, Ron and Hermione usually know how to judge what is correct. The evil characters are also simple in the sense that their actions and motives are usually evil. Well, the perception of the simplicity was tarnished recently with Rowling’s comments.”?

Tarun said, “The main audience for the Potter books is not college students who are mature; it is mostly … kids around the age of 13 years old. These kids probably don’t know what it means to be gay …” She then wrote about totally unrelated subjects, such as inappropriate language, pornography,?violent television and?video games and drug and alcohol abuse. It was concluded that Rowling must have had trouble “leaving out a useless point” and does not even stop to consider why she might have revealed that information about the character. “Hopefully, we can do better!” she said. Argh! I have?several points of contention about this article.

It?takes a truly thoughtless person?to assume that the books are?in any way simple, from a moral standpoint.?Harry frequently struggles to choose between what is easy for him and what is right for the greater good. He gets frustrated and takes his anger out on others, he despairs and seriously considers?giving up. Eventually, he?prevails with the?help of Ron and Hermione, who are not without their flaws either (like Hermione’s anxiety and?difficulty accepting?what she can’t understand, and Ron’s?occasional insensitivity and callousness).

Even?Voldemort, the?villain of the series, had a?troubled?past that set him up for a life of evil?destruction, and as anyone?who has read?all seven?books will tell you,?Snape is a very complex character:?he is enigmatic, bitter and selfish-but far from evil. Even Draco Malfoy manages to redeem?himself a little, in the end.?

The audience of Harry Potter spans all ages and is largely made up of people my age and older who have grown up with the books (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released in the United States in 1997, after all). There are many adult fans of the series, as anyone who?has ever visited?a?website like the-leaky-cauldron.org, a news archive for Potter fans, will certainly?tell you.

The knowledge of what it means to be gay may vary among 13-year-old adolescents, but in today’s world, kids that age?are more likely than ever to be educated about topics like sexuality. In many ways that is a positive thing, since it can help relieve?a lot of?pain, fear?and confusion?for them. Regardless of any given person’s opinion about homosexuality, it remains a reality in today’s world, as is the fact that a person cannot choose whom they are attracted to and that being gay does not make someone?a bad or irresponsible person.

Rowling surely must have thought her statement about Dumbledore was?relevant, or she would not have made it. Perhaps she wants us to question our perception of other people like Dumbledore: is he any less?wise, kind, selfless or heroic because he happens to be gay? Does falling in love with another male while he was in his teens make him evil??Is the work he did trying to help Harry and other?people he cared about any less meaningful? He never took advantage of others or let his homosexuality?overshadow his work for the greater good.?

We should be asking those questions about people we know in real life. That is the reason Rowling revealed Dumbledore’s homosexuality; to challenge our preconceived notions about others, promote tolerance and understanding,?and to show that?the man is not any less great because he is gay.

Cecily Erker is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences.