LGBTQ+ literary prize ‘paused' as nominees pull out over inclusion of Irish author John Boyne

Irish Independent

21 hours ago

Organisers of the Polari Prize said the awards have been put on 'pause' but have 'already secured strong representation for next year'.
A campaign calling for a boycott of the Polari Prize, which included a statement signed by more than 800 writers and workers in the publishing industry, stemmed from Boyne's views on transgender issues and support for British author JK Rowling.
Writing in the Sunday Independent last month, Boyne expressed support for JK Rowling and described himself as a 'fellow Terf', an acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist, a term for those who describe themselves as feminists but deny that transgender women are women and oppose trans-inclusive legislation.
'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 from boycott organisers read.
'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.'
Of the 24 authors longlisted for the top Polari Prize, 16 authors withdrew, along with two judges. Nicola Dinan, the author who won last year's Polari Prize, resigned from the jury for one of this year's awards.
Organisers released a statement confirming the decision to pause this year's Polari Prize, committing to increase 'representation of trans and gender non-conforming judges on the panels for all the awards and undertake a governance and management review to include our aims and values and work to better support everyone within our LGBTQ+ Polari community.'
Co Dublin native Boyne, best known for his historical novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, was named on the longlist for the 2024 novella Earth.
The decision to pause this year's Polari Prize marked a change of heart for the organisers, who previously said they were 'committed to going forward' despite the controversy over Boyne's inclusion, saying he had been longlisted on merit.
A statement released on August 7 said it was 'inevitable' that even within the LGBTQ+ community, 'we can at times hold radically different positions on substantive issues'.
Writing in The Telegraph following the cancellation of this year's Polari Prize, Boyne said the statement released by Polari's organisers 'worries' him and it seemed 'absurd and wrong' for debut writers who withdrew from the prize to lose out on an opportunity.
In a statement posted on X last week, Boyne said he had been a victim of 'bullying' and been subject to 'endless harassment at the hands of both strangers and fellow writers'.
He asked that Earth not be considered for the shortlist should those who withdrew from the Polari Prize decide to return.