Author claims she’s being ‘attacked’ for being straight
Young adult author S. E. Hinton has been criticised for refusing to write about LGBT characters in her novels.
According to Gay Star News, the author became famous after writing her debut novel, The Outsiders, which focused on two competing youth gangs in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
On Twitter, the 68-year-old author said she won’t apologise for “being straight” before claiming she was being “attacked for being heterosexual.”
#ThingsIWontApologizeFor I am a heterosexual writer writing about heterosexual characters. Being attacked for being heterosexual.
— S. E. Hinton (@se4realhinton) January 5, 2017
Twitter users reacted angrily to the tweet, claiming she was dismissing the inclusion of LGBT characters. She responded by stating she “loves gays” and was “born that way.”
I love gays . I didn’t chose the heterosexual life style. I was born that way. https://t.co/bYrbxzRpPo
— S. E. Hinton (@se4realhinton) January 5, 2017
Hinton then asked her followers how she was supposed to know what a gay character goes through, though it appears she has no problems with gangs.
How am I supposed to know what a gay character goes through? Not writing about the black experience either. I can’t know that! https://t.co/BkMQvDLG4f
— S. E. Hinton (@se4realhinton) January 5, 2017
The controversy comes after a number of media organisations revealed that LGBT characters are under-represented in the media.
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