Is Albus Dumbledore the First Gay Man on a British Postage Stamp?

The Guardianannounced yesterday that Britain's Royal Mail is releasing a special edition of stamps featuring some of the most famous (and fabulous) mystical beings from literature. Among the prestigious wizards and enchantresses honored are Merlin from Arthurian legend or yore, Aslan and the WhiteWitch from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and the evil LordVoldemort and his virtuous foil AlbusDumbledore. We're huge fans of the Harry Potter series for a multitude of reasons, but number one may just be the way author J.K. Rowling nonchalantly revealed that the beloved headmaster, perhaps the most kindly and wise character in the series, is gay. While Dumbledore's sexuality has no real effect over the plot, it was a brave move for Rowling to take such an admired literary character and add that little twist. But now that Dumbledore's likeness has been transplanted to a postage stamp, it begs the question: is Albus the first openly gay man to be bestowed such a high honor? Seems like the spell that Rowling and Dumbledore have cast is immune to bigotry. Magic, indeed.