Attention all hardcore Potter fans, as well as those who pretend to be otherwise, the late Hogwarts Headmaster/Greatest wizard of all time, Albus Dumbledore, is in fact gay. Good news for those who are bored of the Britney scandal and great news for Gay Tolerance activists.

The wizard was kicked out of the broom closet by author J. K Rowling last week amidst a full audience in Carnegie Hall. The event was the end of Rowling’s New York book tour, the first U.S. tour she’s done since 2000.

Unknowing of the can of worms she was about to rip open, a young fan in the audience asked Rowling if Dumbledore ever found his “true love”

“Dumbledore is gay,” said Rowling.

After the expected gasps and the not-so-expected applause, Rowling said, “If I'd known it would make you so happy, I would have announced it years ago!”

The outing has also sparked some rather interesting fan fictions, or, fan-written stories based on the characters/goings on of Rowling’s fantasy wizarding world. Interestingly enough, there were speculations about Dumbledore’s status well-before the announcement.

"Oh my god, the fan fiction,” said Rowling with a laugh.

The author went on to answer the question by saying that Dumbledore had fallen in love with his long-time friend, Gellert Grindelwald. Dumbledore’s love was said to be a “great tragedy”. The reason for what made it so tragic is understood only to those who have read the final installment of the seven part series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

In fact, many are re-reading the final book with the new knowledge in mind, trying zero-in on potential hints of the wizard’s sexual orientation. They are then posting their new revelations on several Harry Potter fan sites including 3,000 comments left on The Leaky Cauldron.

The fact that most responses to the whole situation has been positive says a lot about the new generation of youth. People are now able and willing to accept that such an esteemed, honorable, even intimidating character in such a hugely popular book series is gay. The same series that, just a few years previous, was getting grief from the Christian community for “spreading witchcraft” among young children. Times are a’changin’, friends, to a newer, more tolerant America.