As a giant queer, I never found Dumbledore's orientation clear. The announcement of it was a farce. I guess if I had just squinted a little harder whilst reading ...

She is just making shit up. It's after the fact and it isn't in the books, so why read into the series more than is actually there? Because someone tweeted something?

And yet we saw plenty of people being explicitly straight.

Or queer characters never show up because they never show up.

Hm. Interesting. I'd recommend a tiny fix to the headline, however:

All authors are dead, in a way.

But books are ultimately written by an author. The inclusion or exclusion of queer characters is a conscious choice.

Implied is not the same as expressed.

There were a lot of obviously straight characters, however.

This post is really directed more at this thread than you, but I thought I'd reply to your post first since you mentioned one of my hated tropes, the Word of Gay.

Okay, after hitting up that reddit sub, my family is now close to perfect in my eyes. Jesus. How do some people survive their childhoods?

Oh, wow. You have not been having a good day. That one about the butter is a crime. Who decimates the butter stash on Thanksgiving? That's against common courtesy. :[

Has no one here ever experienced the culinary de-light that is Jell-o salad? No? Granted, I've never had the version that's as disgusting as the image in my post, but carrots or marshmallows in Jell-o is gross enough. I can't handle gelatin. It's like cold mucus on a plate. And if it goes room temperature, forget it.

Something that really pops, like pink, purple, or red would be awesome. I've seen pink before. But blue armpit hair doesn't look all that distinctive (at least from what I can tell in this video.)

I can only assume that Emma went on to 'smile' like a certain doctor after that remark ...

That's spectacular.

Confession:

A hermit-like main character in a story with gorgeous scenery and a John Hughes vibe all whilst the difficulties of human interaction must be navigated during a possible mystery in the middle of nowhere?

As someone who can't multitask — serious single-track mind — I applaud your post.

Also terrible: swords pulling from scabbards with a metallic sound. When the scabbard is leather. 'Tis a sound that pains me to my very soul.