Film

Dumbledore has a gay moment in new Fantastic Beasts trailer – and fans are pointing out the obvious

Dumbledore confesses his love for Grindelwald in trailer for new Fantastic Beasts movie

Dumbledore confesses his love for Grindelwald in trailer for new Fantastic Beasts movie (Warner Brothers)

Harry Potter character Dumbledore finally confessed his love to his rival Grindelwald in the latest Fantastic Beasts trailer, and fans’ reactions have been mixed to say the least.

Fans of the franchise have long-awaited confirmation that Dumbledore and Grindelwald were once in love, and the latest trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore seems to confirm it.

The trailer shows the two characters speaking about Grindelwald’s evil plans to take over the world. When Grindelwald [Mads Mikkelsen] says that Dumbledore [Jude Law] promised he would be by his side, Dumbledore replies: “It’s because I was in love with you.”

While not shown explicitly throughout the original Harry Potter series, so-called gender critical author JK Rowling did later confirm that Dumbledore is gay, and had a relationship with Grindelwald.

Fantastic Beasts fans have been disappointed by the representation of this so far, as director David Yates confirmed that the character would not be portrayed as “explicitly gay” in the film – despite both Dumbledore and Grindelwald being central to the plot.

Several fans therefore have shown delight that the pair’s love has now been mentioned explicitly, while others expressed disappointment over the fact that it is not mentioned in the previous Fantastic Beasts movies.

“MY POTTERHEAD HEART IS GOING INSANE RIGHT NOW,” one fan wrote on Twitter.

Another said: “Jude law telling Mads Mikkelsen he’s in love with him is so relatable because I, too, am in love with him.”

One fan, however, implied that the trailer may be the only queer content fans will see in the movie, saying: “Don’t be fooled, we’re not getting a crumb more than this.”

Some fans criticised the move in the wake of anti-trans comments made by JK Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter universe.

In yet another rant about trans rights on Twitter, the author claimed that “innumerable gay people” have been in touch with her expressing the view that trans rights are “undermining” women’s rights, as well as sending a tweet supporting notorious anti-gay, anti-trans and anti-abortion activist Caroline Farrow.

Countless LGBT+ people, however, began the hashtag “JK Doesn’t Speak For Me” to express their support for the trans community.

Julie Cohen, a bisexual woman and best-selling author based in Reading, said: “Being a feminist is about wanting equality for everyone, cis and trans.”

“As a woman from the same generation as JK Rowling, I’m angry that she’s chosen to use her considerable power to punch down on trans people.

“And as a writer, I’m sad that she’s not taking the time to listen to and learn from her inclusive queer fans. She doesn’t speak for me, or for the LGBTQ+ community.”

Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, subtly backed trans rights at the BAFTAs in the wake of Rowling’s latest Twitter rant, saying: “I’m here for all the witches.”

Several fans criticised the latest Fantastic Beasts trailer for showing gay representation after Rowling’s rhetoric on trans live, with one fan writing: “>If you don’t f**k with trans woman you can’t f**k with the rest of us. We come as a package.”

Another Twitter user wrote: “I wonder why JK Rowling would suddenly want to throw LGBT+ representation into something? Almost like she’s trying to distract from something else?”

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is released in cinemas 8 April.

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