Dumbledore out of the closet

J.K. Rowling explained that the Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series is a homosexual. After a short silence, apparently her audience erupted in cheers and applause. The GLAAD media storm ensued, praising Rowling for her contribution to the acceptance of homosexuality in the public sphere.

So here's the irony, or at least the source of my confusion. Why are homosexuals embracing a character that spent the greater portion of his life denying himself and his urges as a triumph of homosexual progress? I don't mean this to be sarcastic in the least bit. It seems like if you're going to hitch your movement to a rising star, you might want to find a character that outs himself, and whose author doesn't have to do it for him.