With a flick of the wand! J.K. Rowling shut down the Westboro Baptist Church's hateful messages about same-sex marriages via Twitter this week.
Rowling's exchange with the church first started after Ireland became the first country worldwide to legalize same-sex marriage. The Harry Potter author has previously confirmed time and time again that the beloved headmaster of Hogwarts Dumbledore was gay. This past weekend, Rowling, 49, tweeted a celebratory message about Ireland's decision.
Sitting here watching the Irish make history. Extraordinary and wonderful.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 23, 2015
"Proud to see us being so open and accepting, at long last!" a fan replied. "I hope Dumbledore and all witches and wizards feel welcome here."
Taking it a step further, Rowling shared a meme of Keanu Reeves making a befuddled expression. "What if Dumbledore and Gandalf were gay together," the meme read. She added: "Then they could get married IN IRELAND!"
.@justaoifethings ???????????????? Then they could get married IN IRELAND! ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/yXedPavZfp
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 23, 2015
The Westboro Baptist Church, which is known for its rather hateful anti-gay agenda, responded to Rowling's tweet on May 26.
.@jk_rowling wants Dumbledore & Gandalf to marry in Ireland; if it happens WBC will picket! #NotBanned pic.twitter.com/bGzk3pJB8G @benjamincohen
— Westboro Baptist (@WBCSaysRepent) May 26, 2015
Which prompted the author to respond in typical Rowling fashion.
.@WBCsigns Alas, the sheer awesomeness of such a union in such a place would blow your tiny bigoted minds out of your thick sloping skulls.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 26, 2015
One of Rowling's fans said it was "counterproductive" to even give attention to the church, which resulted in the author explaining to her followers why it was necessary to respond.
I don't care about WBC. I think it's important that scared gay kids who aren't out yet see hate speech challenged. https://t.co/XumjDmEjuw
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 27, 2015
Rowling has been a gay rights advocate ever since she outed Dumbledore in 2007. Just this past March, Rowling ripped a Potter fan who tweeted that she "can't see" the great wizard as gay. "Maybe because gay people just look like…people," Rowling replied.
