I promise, after this, I will shut up about Rowling (at least until her next wacky anouncement) and people's reaction to Dumbledore being outed after the fact.

Most of those who are thrilled accept Rowling keeping Dumbledore in the closet, bookswise, because she was writing children's fiction and gay characters just aren't that acceptable (or words to that effect).  Maybe her editors wouldn't let her out him in the books.  Maybe she was afraid of parental reaction.  They're all very understanding and sympathetic to those possible reasons.

I'm not.  You do not make the world of fiction a more welcoming place for gays by keeping your gay characters in the closet.  You do not change people's negative opinions about gays by keeping your gay characters in the closet.  You do not give your gay readers heroes to look up to by keeping your gay characters in the closet.  And you do not advance GLBT rights by supporting authors who chose to keep their gay characters in the closet - it's too close to accepting that gays should be in the closet.

Then there's the other problem - all the other gay characters, out gay characters, in fiction that is read by kids and teens.  (And, frankly, the Harry Potter series has enough darkness and more named character death than some adult fantasy books.)  When I was a teen, Mercedes Lackey was beginning her career, and my junior high and high school librarys had her early books...including the Last Herald-Mage trilogy, which was published in 1989 and 1990.  In case you haven't read said books, Vanyel, the main character, is gay.  Yes, he has one tragic love, and yes, he dies saving the kingdom, but, in a way, he also lives happily ever after with the love of his life (it's complicated).  But he's out.  Period.  End of sentence.  And teens in Iowa were reading the books in 1990.  Seventeen years ago.

Now, I'm not saying there are no problems with Lackey's series, but, Christ, at least she had the guts to write about an out gay hero.  And I know there are lists out there of GLBT fantasy and teen books, in fact, here's a quick handful:

http://www.rainbowsauce.com/lesfic/lesteen.html

http://www.alexsanchez.com/gay_teen_books.htm

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/teens/read/booklists/out.html

http://www.multcolib.org/teens/glbt.html

http://www.saclibrary.org/teens/yaglbtlist.html

Some other noteworthy fantasy books with out characters in them:

Youth Fantasy
(kids) Bruce Coville, Skull of Truth: 1997
David Gerrold's Dingilliad series: 2000-2002
Perry Moore, Hero: 2007

Adult (not "adult") Fantasy
Diane Duane's Tales of the Five series: 1979-present
Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series: 1996-present
Ellen Kushner, Swordspoint: 1987
(SF) Lois McMaster Bujold, Ethan of Athos: 1986

And we're supposed to be okay with Rowling leaving Dumbledore in the closet because gay characters aren't acceptable?  No.  Not just no, but hell no!