By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
S.E. Hinton, Author of The Outsiders, Says She Did Not Write Characters as Gay
The author of the classic coming-of-age drama got into a heated debate with readers on Twitter.
S.E. Hinton, the author of The Outsiders, responded to a reader's question about whether the characters in her acclaimed first novel might be gay.
The 68-year-old author, who wrote the book when she was in high school, said that she did not write the characters Dallas and Johnny as gay.
\u201cNo, they are not gay. I wrote them, I ought to know. https://t.co/edPNjm9b8g\u201d— S. E. Hinton (@S. E. Hinton) 1476757656
\u201cDallas was a womanizer. Johnny got excited when 2 Soc girls asked him to sit with them. So, yeah, technically I did. https://t.co/8NDcmF53jc\u201d— S. E. Hinton (@S. E. Hinton) 1476761418
Fans were taken aback by her responses. Several reacted on Twitter by saying that, while the characters might not have been written that way, LGBT readers found a lot of comfort in interpreting the characters as queer.
Hinton responded to that, too.
\u201cYoung gay kids can identify with the book without me saying the characters are gay.\nI never ever set out to make anyone feel safe. https://t.co/mLO8jYturY\u201d— S. E. Hinton (@S. E. Hinton) 1476758499
