Polari prize: Nominees and judges withdraw over inclusion of John Boyne on longlist
UK
awards celebrating LGBTQ+ literature, have withdrawn from the awards over the longlisting of
John Boyne
, who has described himself as a 'Terf' – the acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.
Two judges have also withdrawn from the prize process, and more than 800 writers and publishing industry workers have signed a statement calling on Polari to formally remove Boyne from the longlist. Boyne, who was longlisted for the main Polari book prize for his novella
Earth
, is best known for his 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
Author Nicola Dinan, who won the Polari first book prize last year for her novel Bellies, resigned from this year's jury for the debut prize. Guardian journalist Jason Okundaye asked for his book Revolutionary Acts to be removed from this year's first book prize longlist, while Andrew McMillan withdrew his book Pity from the longlist for the overall Polari book prize for non-debuts.
Heartstopper author Alice Oseman along with the writers Nikesh Shukla, Julia Armfield,
Naoise Dolan
,
Seán Hewitt
and Kirsty Logan are among the hundreds to have signed the statement.
READ MORE
'We are profoundly disappointed by the Polari prize's decision to include John Boyne on the longlist for this year's Polari book prize,' the statement reads.
Boyne 'has publicly and unequivocally associated himself with trans exclusionary sentiments', it continues, citing an Irish Independent article in which Boyne expresses support for
JK Rowling
and describes himself as a 'fellow Terf'. Boyne declined to comment.
Boyne's 'public statements on trans rights and identity are incompatible with the LGBTQ+ community's most basic standards of inclusion', the statement continues.
'In any year, the decision to include Mr Boyne on the longlist would be, in our view, inappropriate and hurtful to the wider community of LGBTQ+ readers and writers. That the decision has been made this year – in the context of rising anti-trans hatred and systematic exclusion of trans people from public life in the UK and across the world – is inexcusable.'
The statement was drafted in response to one made by the Polari prize on August 7th. 'It is inevitable given the challenges we face and the diversity of the lived experience we now represent under the LGBTQ+ Polari umbrella, that even within our community, we can at times hold radically different positions on substantive issues,' it says. 'This is one of those times.'
In a statement to the Guardian on Monday, the Polari prize added that the 'past few weeks have been extremely difficult for the trans and non-binary writers and communities' associated with the award. 'The hurt and anger caused has been a matter of deep concern to everyone associated with the prize, for which we sincerely apologise. We accept and respect the decisions of those writers and judges who have chosen to withdraw,' the statement said.
'Despite these events, we are committed to going forward with the prize this year. However, we will be undertaking a full review of the prize processes, consulting representatives from across the community ahead of next year's awards, taking on board the learnings from this year.'
The Polari prize was founded by journalist Paul Burston in 2011. The longlists for this year's prize were published on August 1st, with the shortlists due to be announced in late September and the winners on November 27th.
The statement in response, which garnered 821 signatures, was organised by the writers
Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin
and Emma van Straaten. 'We want there to be a literary prize that recognises the vital importance of queer and trans stories,' it concludes. 'That's why we're calling on the Polari prize to formally remove Mr Boyne from the longlist, to restore the integrity of this prize as a safe, inclusive and celebratory space for the LGBTQ+ community.'
Other signatories include the writers Nussaibah Younis, Poorna Bell, Daisy Buchanan, K Patrick and Lex Croucher. – Guardian
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