When Rowling announced that Dumbledore was gay, it created no short amount of controversy. It remains a debated topic to this day, with people arguing for and against Dumbledore being gay. Some pointed out that Dumbledore showed signs of being straight, such as him blushing when speaking with Madam Pomfrey while under the influence of butter beer. Others said they always read Dumbledore as gay, picking up various hints, so that they weren’t surprised when it was announced.
Many were upset, feeling Rowling had only made the announcement to earn diversity points. Others defended her, saying it was her world and characters, and her right to make them what she would. Whatever the case, it’s not a fact which is explicitly shared in the books. Even those who weren’t angry at the author were disappointed, because they saw it as a lost opportunity: if Dumbledore had been labeled as gay within the books themselves, it would have been a big deal. It would have marked one of the first times a mainstream series, and one for children no less, had included a positive LGBTQ character.
Whatever the case, Dumbledore is not the only character who could have been gay (and in the real world, he wouldn’t be). Many of the characters are left open ended. Their love lives are never explored one way or the other, and most of the teachers at Hogwarts seem to be single (whether this is because they are, or because they are keeping their relationships private, remains to be seen for most).
As a disclaimer, this article is written for fun. This list is certainly not canon, and beyond my own theories there is little evidence to suggest these characters really are gay, beyond my own defenses. If anything, this list should be treated as ideas for your own fan fiction. If any of these speak to you, there’s a whole fan fiction community waiting for you to tell the story.
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1) Madam Hooch
Madam Hooch is an open ended character. She’s passionate about Quidditch, coaching the school team, and she has yellow eyes. Beyond that, the reader knows little of her. However, with her short hair and tough demeanor, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say she could be coded as lesbian. She is never seen flirting with anyone, leaving her character open to interpretation, and other characteristics make her interesting to explore generally. For example, why does she have yellow eyes? Who were her parents? What ignited her love of Quidditch? If any character needs her own story, it’s Hooch.
2) Madam Rosmerta
Madam Rosmerta is the barmaid at The Three Broomsticks. Though all the men are in love with her, she never returns any of their advances. She’s never seen dating anyone, despite her great popularity. In my own fan fiction, she could be the girlfriend of Madam Hooch. It’s totally fan fiction, but the vivacious, pretty Rosmerta would complement the more butch Hooch. A quiet moment where Harry notices Hooch and Rosmerta holding hands would have said more than enough.
Like Hooch, Rosmerta’s backstory is a blank page. Why did she settle for being a barmaid? What does she do, when she isn’t serving drinks? Her life presents a canvas anyone could fill in, and who’s to say Professor Hooch couldn’t be apart of that?
3) Gilderoy Lockhart
If this was real life, not all of the characters listed would be “good guys.” While it’s true that Gilderoy often flirts with women, he never settles down with anyone. In real life, some men who are gay regularly flirt with girls or go out with them as a means of covering up. Nobody is better than Gilderoy at concealing the truth, and his tendency to make witches swoon over him may be but a part of the facade he’s building.
Lockhart could be seen as being “gay coded.” While all witches and wizards wear bright colours, Lockhart is especially loud in this area: he wears vivid robes, seeming to have a new vibrant colour for any given day. What’s more, he exhibits feminine tendencies, such as putting effort into his looks and hygiene, and writing with purple ink. Then there’s his infamous Valentine’s Day event, in which he sports pink robes and sends “cupids” to deliver embarrassing cards to everybody. He’s flamboyant, pretty, and outspoken.
Given that he lies about everything else, it’s not hard to imagine Gilderoy lying about his sexuality—lying about who he really is, is what Lockhart does best. Of course, it’s hard to label him as an outright “bad guy.” He does bad things, sure, but he’s no Death Eater. He’s just an insecure man who craves attention. In the fifth book, readers even discover what became of Lockhart after his Memory Charm backfired: he ended up, for all intents and purposes, in a psyche ward, wandering around, almost childlike, with no recollection of who he was. All he seemed to remember was his enjoyment of signing autographs.
With his memory wiped, Gilderoy is almost innocent. Is there a chance he could change his ways? If anyone needs a redemption arc, it’s this guy. Like other characters, he’s interesting to explore simply because he’s interesting as a person.
4) Rita Skeeter
Rita Skeeter isn’t the nicest character on this list, but even she must have a history. More specifically, she must have a motive. It’s possible Rita’s tendency to attack others, particularly those who are “different,” is a result of her own insecurities. She tears others down, focusing on their flaws and even stereotyping them, as a means of keeping the scrutiny off of her. In the books, she as described as “mannish.” While readers found this description inappropriate, some could read it as a hint that Rita wasn’t born a woman.
While a prospective fan fiction writer could handle such descriptions with more care, Rita could have a hidden backstory nobody was expecting. It’s possible she grew up in a family which wasn’t so accepting of her choices; in order to deflect the judgment from herself, she may have dug up skeletons from other members of the family. In short, her tendency to attack others may really be a defense mechanism.
Little is known of Rita Skeeter, besides the fact she writes tabloid articles, can turn into a beetle, and carries an acid green quick quotes quill. It’s not clear if she went to Hogwarts or not, and if so what house. However, for all the trouble she causes, Rita does have some redeeming qualities which could be explored. For one, she does do her research. She doesn’t do it in the best taste, but most of what she writes on the Dumbledore family is true. She’s also determined, unable to be pushed aside when she’s made up her mind. She’s persuasive: though she’s hurt people with her charm, she is able to put this trait to use for good when Hermione pushes her to write an article in Harry’s favour (incidentally, the article is taken up by the Quibbler). Finally, she’s a talented witch. This might sound surprising, but she’s an Animagus—readers of the book will know that no short amount of skill is required to become one.
In order for Rita to become an Animagus, she would have to have exceptional abilities (and the arduous process involved ties into the determined side of Rita’s character as well).
If fan fiction writers wanted to turn Rita Skeeter into a positive character, there’s plenty to work with. Between her tenacious personality and her open backstory, Rita offers another chance at a satisfying redemption arc. Her status as LGBTQ could even play directly into her character, forming a motivation for what she does.
5) Tonks
If Rita could be read as transgender, some could read Tonks as genderfluid. Tonks is what is known as a Metamorphmagus. This means she can change her appearance at will, affecting her hair colour, her facial shape, and so on. It’s not much of a stretch to suggest she could use this ability on her whole body, making herself more feminine or masculine, according to her mood. Within canon, it’s safe to say Tonks is probably female identifying, and in a happy heterosexual relationship with Lupin.
However, some genderfluid people can feel like one gender for a long time. Others seem to shift on a day to day basis. It depends on the person; everyone is different. Readers don’t see what Tonks was like as a child. It’s possible she was questioning as a teenager, exploring various identities before settling on “female.” Readers also miss out on her later life, since Tonks tragically dies in the Battle of Hogwarts.
People whose identities don’t align with their sex often hide this for much of their early adulthood. Elliot Page didn’t come out as a man until he was in his 30’s. Tonks, for her part, was only 25 when she died. If she had come out as something other than female at the same age as Elliot, that would have meant another seven or so years of hiding before she did. As a young adult, she still had plenty of time left to discover herself.
Tonks seems happy as a woman, and if she was truly genderfluid she could be—it’s more that she would be happy as another gender as well, in addition to womanhood rather than instead of it. Tonks dreamed of being an Auror, and she may have hidden other sides of herself to make the process easier. With her clumsiness and poor skills in potion making, she barely squeaked through as it is—keeping her personal life hidden could have been her way of lessening the disadvantages stacked against her.
It’s not canon, but it could make for an intriguing story (either following Tonks as a teen, and her decision to conform, or exploring her later life in an alternate universe where she never died).
In Conclusion
Dumbledore isn’t the only character within the series who could be construed as gay. While some claimed to read between the lines, and see him as such before the announcement, other characters offer similar hints. Though it’s unlikely there will be more announcements (and people likely wouldn’t accept them if there were) there’s no reason why such a vast cast wouldn’t have more than one LGBTQ character. Those listed have shown hints—or enough hints to justify fan fiction which wouldn’t actually contradict the canon.
The characters listed have mostly open ended lives and pasts, and writers wanting to fill the stories with representation could find plenty to play with when it came to people like Gilderoy or Hooch. In addition to their sexuality or orientations, these characters have plenty of other traits which should be explored.
Which characters would you like to see more of in a fan fiction? Were there any other characters you read as gay in the series? Share your thoughts!