Many were shocked after J.K. Rowling revealed Dumbledore's homosexuality last week, as it was never specifically addressed in any of her seven Harry Potter novels. Sure, people speculated, but since Dumbledore's life was unfortunately cut short (sob), he never got the chance to sit Harry down and have a heart-to-heart about his romantic history.
We are lucky to be part of a generation where many popular TV shows, movies and books feature homosexual characters, adding a little bit of flair, diversity and general happiness to their respective stories. Now Harry fans of all ages can watch the movies and read the books with a newfound respect for another kind of diversity at Hogwarts, one beyond the mixture of Muggle-borns and pure-bloods.
Many of the fictional characters who entertained us as children, however, reached audiences - and their parents - who were a little more intolerant. Therefore, we have outed 10 fictional characters, past and present, who have been unjustly kept in the closet by closed-minded audiences for far too long.
1. Peter Pan: Let's start with the tights. A little revealing. And the hat? You might even call it "jaunty." But all of this pales in comparison to the big pink elephant in Neverland: the relationship between Peter and the Lost Boys. Creeeeeeeeep-y. Who exactly doesn't want who to grow up here?
2. Peppermint Patty and Marcie, "Peanuts": Peppermint Patty was the first female "Peanuts" character to wear pants. She was also more into sports than Charlie Brown, Linus and Pig-Pen combined (although that doesn't say much). And though she professed her love to Charlie, we still think her dominant-submissive relationship with the adoring Marcie who referred to Patty as "sir" went beyond the realm of the platonic.
3. The Cowardly Lion, "The Wizard of Oz": When Dorothy & Co. arrive at the Emerald City, the Tin Man gets shined up, and the Scarecrow gets some nice new stuffing. And what does the Cowardly Lion get? He gets pink bows all over his mane and even one on his tail. 'Nuff said.
4. Bugs Bunny: Bugs has a lot of men in his life - Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Marvin the Martian - and you don't have to consult Freud to know that his constant tormenting of them is just masking his suppressed attraction. Between that carrot (oral fixation?) and the not-so-effective pick-up line "What's up, Doc?" this bunny's gotta come out of that rabbit hole sometime.
5. Bert and Ernie: When Ernie sings "Rubber ducky, you're the one," we all know who he's really thinking of. But he knows that the unibrow-ed stud he lives with is too timid to admit his own sexuality and so resigns himself to bathing alone, with only rubber ducky for company.
6. Steve Stifler, "American Pie" (1999): Anyone as seemingly confident in their bro-dom as Steven Stifler is definitely trying to hide something. It's not a shock that the "Stifmeister" ends up being a professional high school football coach in "American Wedding" (2003). There's nothing more masculine-hetero than a good congratulatory butt pat, right?
7. Robin, "Batman:" Batman's teenage sidekick always appeared to have more than just admiration for his mentor. Who can blame him? Batman has a sick body, wears a badass cape and saves Gotham again and again from evil foes.
8. Tinky Winky, "Teletubbies:" The tall purple Teletubby caused quite a stir with the religious right when his "magic bag" was misconstrued as a woman's purse. After all, everyone knows sexuality is entirely based on what kind of handbag you own. I mean, c'mon, it's not like it was D&G or Versace - give the poor fuzzy creature a break and let him express himself!
9. Timon and Pumba, "The Lion King" (1995): The meerkat and warthog's ambiguous partnership is yet another testament to the Walt Disney franchise's obsession with sex. If you aren't already aware of the infamous freeze-frames in "The Lion King" and "The Little Mermaid," check it out - it's worth a good laugh. Also, Timon is voiced by Nathan Lane - did he really have a choice in his sexual orientation?
10. Curious George: Let's just put it this way: He has an affinity for big men in yellow hats, he loves bananas and he's extremely curious. Is he straight? Gay? Or just bi-curious?
-compiled by the Daily Arts Department
