Ian McKellen
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Sir Ian McKellen has let his opinion fly and set the internet ablaze. While he may be best known as an actor, McKellen has also been an advocate for the LGBTQ community for most of his life. And during a recent interview, McKellen made it known what he thinks about that ‘Fantastic Beasts’ controversy about Dumbledore.

For those who don’t know what I am referring to, the drama surrounding ‘Fantastic Beasts’ stretches all the way back to an interview in January where director David Yates mentioned that Dumbledore’s queer sexuality wouldn’t be addressed in ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald:’

“Not explicitly. But I think all the fans are aware of that. He had a very intense relationship with Grindelwald when they were young men. They fell in love with each other’s ideas, and ideology and each other.”

This comment angered fans, and they shared their disappointment with the decision. The situation escalated when ‘Harry Potter’ author J.K. Rowling dismissed the issue. In a separate interview, McKellen revealed that he’s not surprised to see Dumbledore’s sexuality being ignored, saying:

“That’s a pity. Well, nobody looks to Hollywood for social commentary, do they? They only recently discovered that there were black people in the world. Hollywood has mistreated women in every possible way throughout its history. Gay men don’t exist. ‘Gods and Monsters’ [1998], I think, was the beginning of Hollywood admitting that there were gay people knocking around, even though half of Hollywood is gay.”

I hope the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ crew has some aloe for the burn! McKellen is not known for holding back when it comes to defending the LGTBQ community, and the legend isn’t afraid to throw some shade.

Fans of the franchise stand behind McKellen and his comments, and have taken to Twitter (as the nerds do) to make sure everyone knows. Check out some of the responses below.