The Outsiders Author: My Characters Are Not Gay

S.E. Hinton defended the heterosexuality of Johnny and Dallas in a "salty" series of tweets, which some called homophobic.

dnlreynolds

The Outsiders are definitely not gay.

Or at least, so says the author of the popular young-adult novel, which centers on a rivalry between two high-school gangs and was made into an iconic 1983 film starring Tom Cruise and Rob Lowe.

S.E. Hinton, who wrote the coming-of-age classic as a teen in 1967, shot down a young Twitter user Monday who asked if there were any "romantic feelings" between the characters of Johnny and Dallas. In The Outsiders, the pair are members of the Greasers gang who share a close bond.

\u201c@MrCadeWinston No. Where is the text backing this?\u201d
— VVAnn (@VVAnn) 1476723242

A series of dismissive replies followed, which were described by various Twitter users as "rude" and "salty."

\u201c@MrCadeWinston ask someone in the '60's how "cute" it was to be gay.\n. I have many friends I love & do not want to sleep with.\u201d
— VVAnn (@VVAnn) 1476723242

Hinton's responses and tone did not sit well with many on Twitter. One user accused Hinton of homophobia, which continued the thread and put Hinton on the defensive.

\u201cI have no problem with anyone being gay. Long time supporter of LGBT rights.have a problem with little girls thinking my characters are gay. https://t.co/dGAsNJoDHG\u201d
— S. E. Hinton (@S. E. Hinton) 1476757609

\u201cNo, they are not gay. I wrote them, I ought to know. https://t.co/edPNjm9b8g\u201d
— S. E. Hinton (@S. E. Hinton) 1476757656

\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

\u201cI have many gay friends. If you ask me if my characters are gay I will tell you they are not. It is not homophobic. https://t.co/OTzEXkPnvv\u201d
— S. E. Hinton (@S. E. Hinton) 1476758901

\u201cshould I have said I did? https://t.co/aIAdpfFtgo\u201d
— S. E. Hinton (@S. E. Hinton) 1476760107

The debate went into authorial intent versus reader interpretation, with Hinton refusing to back down from her stance or previous comments.

\u201cDoesn't authorial intent (in some literally criticism) not matter but instead what ends up in the text which is interpreted by the reader? https://t.co/hRMrGwbweL\u201d
— Kat (@Kat) 1476759921

\u201cof course! But when people ask I will answer. https://t.co/k0ehAcHiPg\u201d
— S. E. Hinton (@S. E. Hinton) 1476760339

\u201cI said I did not write the characters that way. I apologize for nothing. https://t.co/pjfagS2P7i\u201d
— S. E. Hinton (@S. E. Hinton) 1476760913

\u201cI have no problem with interpretation. If someone asks me if I wrote my characters that way I will say no. https://t.co/WkhQuRolDv\u201d
— S. E. Hinton (@S. E. Hinton) 1476760999

\u201cI wrote the Outsiders when I was in high school in 1965. I did not know any LGBT people. I did know plenty of guys. https://t.co/8NDcmF53jc\u201d
— S. E. Hinton (@S. E. Hinton) 1476761353

\u201cYou technically didn't write them as straight either https://t.co/BKdUodzpTm\u201d
— world\u2019s greatest archer (@world\u2019s greatest archer) 1476761225

\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

\u201cInterpret it all you want. But when asked if I wrote the characters that way I will say no. https://t.co/LzCR183IGx\u201d
— S. E. Hinton (@S. E. Hinton) 1476761844

Hinton ended her thread on the topic with a word of warning to future curious (and bi-curious) readers.