“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities,” Albus Dumbledore said in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets after Harry expressed concern over the similarities between himself and Voldemort. The Hogwarts headmaster quickly reminds Harry that he chooses to use his extraordinary abilities and powers for good, not evil — the accurate measure of greatness. But lately, Warner Bros. and the Harry Potter franchise have chosen not to use their immense cultural capital for good. Instead, they have aired on the side of caution regarding censorship concerns overseas rather than standing by as a corporate media ally to the LGBTQ+ community (which hey, according to the Asia Society: LGBT Allies & Asia Initiative, the Chinese queer community needs as well).
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The most recent uproar has to do with removing the long-awaited textual confirmation that Dumbledore is gay. No, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore producer and co-screenwriter J.K. Rowling‘s post hoc confirmation of his queerness during a 2007 fan event after the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows nor the innuendo alluding to the relationship in The Crimes of Grindelwald is not the same thing as the textual confirmation in the new film where the wizard express it clearly.
The Chinese version removed six seconds from the film’s 143-minute runtime, including two pivotal lines of dialogue referencing a previous romantic relationship between Hogwarts professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen). The lines in question were “because I was in love with you” and “the summer Gellert and I fell in love.” Even though the rest of the film remains intact, the Fantastic Beasts 3 lines made the relationship officially canon.
Warner Bros. Concerned with ‘In-Market Factors’
Warner Bros. Pictures
Despite all the Walt Disney Company’s recent bumbles regarding LGBTQ+ content, it chose to stand behind Eternals and the film’s inclusion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first openly gay superhero. When Gulf nations threatened to pull the film’s release over the content, Angelina Jolie said she was proud of the studio for refusing to bow to censors. She told the Australian website news.com.au, “I’m sad for [those audiences]. And I’m proud of Marvel for refusing to cut those scenes out.”
Warner Bros. has chosen to take a different path—and one that won’t impact its box office performance overseas—deciding that those moments are not crucial to the content of the film. Warner Bros said in a statement to news.com.au:
As a studio, we’re committed to safeguarding the integrity of every film we release, and that extends to circumstances that necessitate making nuanced cuts in order to respond sensitively to a variety of in-market factors. Our hope is to release our features worldwide as released by their creators, but historically we have faced small edits made in local markets. In the case of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, a six-second cut was requested, and Warner Bros accepted those changes to comply with local requirements, but the spirit of the film remains intact. We want audiences everywhere in the world to see and enjoy this film, and it’s important to us that Chinese audiences have the opportunity to experience it as well, even with these minor edits.
Hagrid has something to say about not being proud of who you are and the message it sends to LGBTQ+ audiences outside of China. A full quote from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire reads, “I am what I am, an’ I’m not ashamed. ‘Never be ashamed,’ my ol’ dad used ter say, ‘there’s some who’ll hold it against you, but they’re not worth botherin’ with,'” says Hagrid to Harry, Ron, and Hermione after Rita Skeeter publicly outs him for being a half-giant, a stigmatized identity in the Potterverse. The advice embodies something JKR and Warner Bros. seem to have left behind: acceptance of oneself and others, no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity.
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About The Author
Rebecca Kaplan
(156 Articles Published)
Rebecca Kaplan (she/he) has a JD and an MS but believes comics do more good than law. His work can be found at Prism Comics, MovieWeb, Geek Girl Authority, PanelxPanel, StarTrek.com and Comics Bookcase, and in Double Challenge: Being LGBTQ and a Minority, which she co-authored with his wife, Avery Kaplan.
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