Author J.K. Rowling recently responded to a tweet from a fan who said that she couldn’t visualize Dumbledore as a gay man. The response has gone viral. Rowling simply stated, “Maybe because gay people just look like…people.”

It amazes us that people are still so hung up on this.

Eight years after the seventh and final book of the series was published, and four years after Deathly Hallows Part 2 premiered, Harry Potter is still relevant as a cornerstone of popular culture and the characters are still as important to people as ever.

When Rowling first revealed that Dumbledore was gay in 2007, the reaction from fans was mixed. Some were elated to have their head canons of Dumbledore and Grindelwald be confirmed as canon by Queen Rowling herself, while others could barely muster enough energy to care. Others, though, felt angry because it changed the way they perceived the beloved character. Some people thought there was no evidence in the text of Dumbledore’s sexuality, while others claimed that the information was outside of the story, thus irrelevant. Some were angry that Rowling was trying to “change the game” long after the characters had been established.

When celebrities respond to fans, it is often a cause for uproar, and this instance seems like no exception. Yet, the conversation between the fan and celebrity was extremely civil and informative. The extensive discussion arising from the situation forces people to ask themselves about the way they see others. Why do people have to be “seen” in certain ways, based solely upon sexuality, or even other traits? What happens when the assumptions that people make based on stereotypes result in behavior that is harmful? It boils down to respecting an individual as a person, regardless of what they look like on the outside, or how they are on the inside.