A lesbian Pussy Galore for James Bond

What’s in a name? There’s something about the character of Pussy Galore in the James Bond universe that people found mysterious. But now it can be told: just like the secret agent with a license to kill, Pussy Galore has her own share of secrets. But the most important one will be revealed in the newest James Bond novel: she’s actually a lesbian.

Though Pussy Galore only graced the James Bond films once, she left quite an indelible mark on people’s mind. As seen in Goldfinger in 1964, Pussy Galore was the second most loved female character in the franchise, next to Ursula Andress’ Honey Rider. She also had the most popular name among the Bond girls.

Pussy Galore’s non-secret

However, according to the original Ian Fleming books, Pussy Galore had always been a lesbian. This was never translated in the movie Goldfinger and as a result, she was forced into the closet for decades.

Fortunately, the new James Bond book, Trigger Mortis— written by Anthony Horowitz on commission for Ian Fleming’s estate– manages to correct this as it continues the story two weeks after Goldfinger’s end. In Horowitz’s book, James Bond hires a female instructor to teach him how to race. Bond being Bond, Agent 007 seduces the girl– but is then interrupted when he has to rescue Pussy Galore.

The kicker here is that the two girls then run off together as lovers afterwards.

Now, if you ever thought there was something about Pussy Galore you couldn’t put your finger on, you’d be right. She was, among all the Bond girls, always been a little cool towards James Bond. As she told Bond in the movies: “You can turn off the charm. I’m immune.”

In the Goldfinger novel, Pussy Galore ran a lesbian trapeze artist group who turned into cat burglars. Moreover, she once told Bond that she became a lesbian because she was sexually assaulted by her uncle when she was 12 years old.

Of course, in 1964, the world wasn’t ready for a lesbian character, much more in a commercial movie.

The troublemaker Pussy Galore

But now with Pussy Galore out and proud– perhaps the only Bond girl today with the deepest subtext– she can be free to continue her tradition of being a troublemaker.

After all, her character’s name was almost changed to Kitty Galore in the movie to please the American censors in 1964. What’s more, the makers of Goldfinger, including Honor Blackman who played the character, did tease the audience about her true sexuality with a few lines.

It makes you wonder: what further troubles will Pussy Galore cause in the 21st century?