Rowling relayed the story of of Dumbledore's affection for Grindelwald to a packed audience in Carnegie Hall over ten years ago to huge applause. Readers were grateful for the representation during a time when gay marriage was not yet legal in the U.K ., U.S., or Australia . While later the announcement was critiqued for doing the bare minimum (it was a convenient way to say you have diversity without going as far as explicitly putting it in the story), The Crimes of Grindelwald had a chance to make this right. Rowling even teased its inclusion during a press conference in 2016, saying "as far as [Dumbledore's] sexuality is concerned...watch this space."