The Guardian
announced
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
White
Witch
from
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
and the evil
Lord
Voldemort
and his virtuous foil
Albus
Dumbledore
. 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.
