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BBC News
17 hours ago
- BBC News
Polari Prize organisers cancel book prize over trans controversy
Organisers have cancelled an annual literary prize created to promote LGBTQ+ writing, following a row about comments by one of the nominated Boyne, best known for writing The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, was longlisted for the Polari Prize earlier this month for his latest novel some other nominated authors asked to be removed from the longlist, objecting to an article Boyne wrote defending JK Rowling's stance on trans issues and women's rights. More than 800 figures in the publishing industry also signed an open letter criticising his Polari Prize's organisers have now said it would not be awarded this year but they hoped it would return in a statement published before the prize was scrapped, Boyne said his "views on trans rights have never changed" and he had faced "endless harassment at the hands of both strangers and fellow writers". What is the Polari Prize? Founded in 2011, The Polari Prize is open to writers born or based in the UK or Ireland who write about the experiences of LGBTQ+ life. It started out as a single annual prize for best first book, which recognised debut works. In 2019, a second award was introduced for overall book of the year. What did John Boyne write in his article? In an article in the Irish Independent on 27 July, Boyne, who is gay, offered his support to Harry Potter author Rowling, who has in recent years been outspoken with her views about the tension between trans rights and the protection of women's described himself as a "fellow Terf" - which stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist - and said Rowling had been "pilloried" for her suggested that women who had publicly disagreed with Rowling in recent years were "astonishingly complicit in their own erasure", and compared them to a commander's wife in the patriarchal regime in The Handmaid's Tale who is "ready to pin a handmaiden down as her husband rapes her"."Rowling's critics claim she is transphobic, the greatest sin of our time, and use the usual tedious hyperbole to demonise her," Boyne said that her supporters, however, were encouraged by her "advocacy" on issues such as women being "entitled to safe spaces". Which authors objected to Boyne's inclusion? The longlist for the Polari Prize was announced on 1 August, and over the subsequent days several other nominated authors withdrew in protest at Boyne's inclusion. Sacha Coward said he could not "continue in good faith" to participate in the event, which he said was supposed to "celebrate inclusion, not exclusion and division". Fellow nominee Mae Diansangu said Boyne had "disgusting views".Another longlisted writer, Jason Okundaye, wrote an article in the Guardian describing Boyne's views as "abhorrent", withdrawing his nomination because he felt "misled about the principles underpinning the organisation".More than 10 longlisted authors pulled out, out of a total of 24. The figures in the publishing industry who signed the open letter said they were "profoundly disappointed" by Boyne's inclusion, saying his comments were "inappropriate and hurtful" and "incompatible with the LGBTQ+ community's most basic standards of inclusion".One of the prize's own judges, Nicola Dinan, who won the First Book award last year, also resigned from this year's panel in the only trans author on the longlist, Dr Avi Ben-Zeev, said he would remain on the list, telling PinkNews he supported others who had withdrawn, but adding there was "nothing more trans-exclusionary... than to see people like me disappear... if I walk away, I'm erasing my trans story". How have John Boyne and the Polari Prize responded? Following Dinan's resignation, the Polari Prize said it "completely understands and respect her decision".However, Boyne at this point remained on the longlist, with organisers noting in a statement: "Even within our community, we can at times hold radically different positions on substantive issues. This is one of those times."It said the prize was "committed to inclusion", adding that "while we do not eliminate books based on the wider views of a writer, we regret the upset and hurt this has caused".Boyne then released a statement standing by his views and thanking the Polari Prize for "standing strong in the face of extraordinary intimidation".He said he had received "an extraordinary amount of bullying and intimidation", which had pushed him "close to the edge".He also encouraged the authors who had withdrawn to return to the longlist, suggesting that, if they did so, he would ask the prize's judges not to choose his own book to progress to the on Monday, Polari announced this year's prize would not be going ahead."What was supposed to be a celebration of exceptional LGBTQ+ literature has been overshadowed by hurt and anger, which has been painful and distressing for all concerned," organisers said in a statement, apologising to "everyone who had been affected".Polari said it had consulted authors, judges, stakeholders and funders, and had "decided to pause the prize this year while we increase the representation of trans and gender non-conforming judges on the panels" and undertake a governance and management concluded by saying it would "endeavour to find a way forwards in good faith".
Times
20 hours ago
- Times
LGBTQ literary prize paused after row over ‘gender critical' author
An annual LGBTQ literary prize has been cancelled after being criticised for including the 'gender critical' author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas on its long list. The organisers of the Polari Prize, the UK's largest LGBTQ book award, announced on Monday that they had decided to pause the prize this year while the representation of 'trans and non-gender conforming judges' was increased. They said: 'What was supposed to be a celebration of LGBTQ+ literature has been overshadowed by hurt and anger, which has been painful and distressing for all concerned, and we apologise to everyone who has been affected.' They went on to explain that the decision to halt the award had been taken after 'many discussions had been undertaken' about the 'ramifications' of longlisting John Boyne's novel Earth. Boyne is an acclaimed Irish writer best known for his 2006 book, later turned into a film, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, about a friendship between the young son of a Nazi concentration camp guard and a Jewish boy being kept prisoner. But the inclusion of Earth in the running for the Polari Prize has caused outrage among transgender rights campaigners, with ten authors withdrawing from the award and hundreds of objectors signing a petition against the author. They claimed that Boyne had 'unequivocally associated himself with trans exclusionary sentiments' and that his inclusion on the long list was 'inappropriate and hurtful to the wider community of LGBTQ+ readers and writers'. The criticism against the author, who is gay, by trans activists, follows a piece he wrote for the Irish press last month, which praised JK Rowling for her championing of women's rights over transgender ideology. He described himself in the article as 'a fellow Terf' (trans-exclusionary radical feminist), a term often used to describe those with gender critical views, adding: 'I stand four-square behind her.' Rowling herself has responded to the threats to boycott the Polari Prize on account of Boyne's inclusion, writing on X: 'Oh, f*** off. I hope everyone buys twice as many @JohnBoyneBooks, a) because he's brilliant, and b) to p*** off the Gender Taliban.' Boyne revealed last week that he has been the focus of an 'extraordinary amount of bullying and intimidation' by trans activists and 'toxic novelists' since the publication of his book My Brother's Name is Jessica in 2019. By publishing the book about a boy struggling to cope with his sibling's transitioning, he has been accused of writing about an issue with which he is unfamiliar. Commenting on the latest backlash against him, Boyne said: 'To the writers who withdrew from the prize and those who organised petitions, I say this: You may have meant well. You may have thought you were doing an honourable thing. 'But you forgot one crucial fact. The novelist you are petitioning and the novel you tried to exclude is part of a sequence about sexual abuse from a gay man who experienced that very trauma at school, was denied justice because my abuser died in the months leading up to the trial, and is still coping with not getting my day in court. 'And how do I cope? By writing books like Earth.' The Polari Prize for LGBTQ writers has been running for 15 years. Organisers have received funding from the Arts Council for writing workshops and events but not for the prize itself. Along with Boyne, the other high-profile name on the long list this year was Alan Hollinghurst, the Booker Prize-winning author of The Line of Beauty. He is yet to comment on the row over Boyne's views and the pausing of the award. However, a number of campaign organisations have come forward to criticise the move. A spokeswoman for SEEN in Publishing, a network of publishing professionals and authors who 'recognise the material reality of sex', said: 'Literary prizes should first and foremost be about rewarding the merit of an individual book, irrespective of the views that any author might hold. 'No one group should be dictating who is eligible because of a disagreement they might have with an individual author's opinion, particularly when that opinion is legal and valid, and held by the majority of people.' • Donor joins revolt after national library pulls gender-critical book Kate Barker, the chief executive of the LGB Alliance, a charity exclusively for same-sex attracted people, commented: 'This year there will be no winner of the Polari Prize, no celebration of fantastic LGB authors, no one's career boosted. 'All because a few activists found the reality of same-sex attraction, and a gay man's defence of it, too offensive.' The Arts Council said that it had not funded the Polari Prize itself, but had supported the organisers to deliver a series of writing workshops and events. A spokeswoman for the Polari Prize declined to comment further.
The Review Geek
a day ago
- The Review Geek
I'm the Most Beautiful Count Episode 4 Preview: Release Date, Time & Where To Watch
I'm the Most Beautiful Count I'm the Most Beautiful Count is a Thai BL that follows Prince, an LGBTQ+ artist who finds himself thrown into a new world after time-travelling. Prince ends up possessing Woradet's body, the son of a nobleman in the traditional kingdom of Thongburi. All his life, Woradet was forced to conceal his sexuality. Prince finds herself navigating treacherous political waters, facing betrayals and love triangles. To protect everyone she cares for, Prince needs to figure out what happened to Woradet. If you've been following this one, you may be curious to know when the next episode will be released. Well, wonder no more! Here is everything you need to know about I'm the Most Beautiful Count Episode 4, including its release date, time, and where to watch this. Where Can I Watch I'm the Most Beautiful Count? I'm the Most Beautiful Count is available to stream on Channel One31 and iQIYI. It is unclear if the episodes will also be available on CHANGE256's official YouTube channel. If so, expect the episodes to be broken up into 4 different segments. I'm the Most Beautiful Count Episode 4 Release Date I'm the Most Beautiful Count Episode 4 will release on Friday 22nd August at 9:15 pm (IST) / 2:15 pm (GMT). We can expect English subs from the YouTube release date and also from when it goes live on iQIYI. Expect Episode 4 to be roughly 50 minutes long, which is consistent with the time frame for the rest of the show. How Many Episodes Will I'm the Most Beautiful Count Have? I'm the Most Beautiful Count is a 13-episode Thai drama, so we've got 9 more episodes to go after this one, guys! Anticipate the story to further develop both central characters as the romance and drama intensify and unfold. Is there a trailer for I'm the Most Beautiful Count? There is indeed! You can find a trailer for I'm the Most Beautiful Count Season 1 below
