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Jacqueline Wilson has said she is “delighted” at being considered a gay icon.
The 78-year-old author came out as gay in 2020, when she announced she was in a relationship with her partner Trish Beswick.
In her new book, Think Again, she covers the matter of same-sex relationships as one of her characters falls in love with another woman.
Wilson announced the release of her new book in March, an adult-focused extension of her Girls book series, catching up with Ellie, Magda and Nadine – her formerly teen characters who are now navigating obstacles such as motherhood, work, and love.
“I’m very touched to be thought of as a gay icon, it’s an absolute delight,” she told the BBC.
She added that she wouldn’t be “rampaging around with a rainbow flag, but I highly applaud and approve of anyone who does”.
Although the much-loved author says she could have written a gay character in her earlier work, she felt there could have been more backlash to the move.
“There would have been far more ‘oh my gosh Jacqueline has written about someone who is gay’ whereas now it’s not a big deal,” she explained.
In the book, Ellie divorces her husband and falls in love with a woman, experiences that mirror some of Wilson’s own.
“I’m aware that people will think that there are parallels but that’s not the intention, I was just being imaginative when I wrote the book,” she said.
She added that sexuality is complex saying, “We don’t need to just think that everyone is either straight or gay. Of course I’m not suggesting we chop and change all the time, but for my generation it didn’t occur that you could be attracted to all sorts of people, so we’ve definitely become much more grown up.”
Wilson is known for her Girls book series, The Story of Tracy Beaker, Sleepovers, Dustbin Baby and over 100 others. Over 40 million copies of her books have been sold in the UK alone, with her work translated into over 34 languages.
The original four-part Girls series began with 1997’s Girls in Love, followed by Girls Under Pressure (1998), Girls Out Late (1999), and Girls in Tears (2002).
