I am one of the 14 authors who chose to leave the Polari Prize, and I find myself frustrated and saddened at the way this entire story has been represented. 1/
In an article about authors opting out of a literary prize, you have included a statement from only one of those authors. On the other hand, you have chosen to include the words of two other major gender critical voices, neither of whom were in any way affiliated with the prize. 2/
To be clear, the decision to leave was not orchestrated, it was organic. Nobody contacted me to tell me to leave. Each of the 14 writers chose to leave, because of their own sense of integrity as to what the Polari Prize claimed to stand for. 3/
It was an LGBTQ+ award, which included transgender, nonbinary and intersex authors.
That was the purpose of the award. Our issue was not with Boyne as a person, but with his statements about transgender people and those who support them. 4/
Aug 15, 2025 10:00Recently, Boyne wrote that those women who supported transgender women were akin to people willing to ‘pin a handmaiden down as her husband rapes her’. /5
For context, this is taken from Margaret Atwood’s ‘A Handmaid’s Tale’, wherein women are forcibly abused and assaulted.
How else can this statement be interpreted other than stating that transgender women are a hostile force, and that all women who support them are complicit in their own abuse? /6
In turn, all of us have been called ‘The Gender Taliban’ compared to the Nazis and the Stazi. Accused of censorship, bullying and trying to get another author to end his life.
I have been accused of being a child abuser, called every homophobic slur you can imagine.
We left a literary award. /7
In the articles I have read in the mainstream press Jon Boyne has been giving space to share his feelings, his human response to this, which is exactly as it should be.
But the 14 authors, and one judge are not afforded the same space. /8
Each has expressed heartbreak over turning down something that was supposed to be a source of joy, each has expressed frustration and disappointment, and each has been called every name under the sun. /9
For my part I wish John Boyne no pain, I did not leave the award to hurt him, to make him suffer. I do not know him.
I’m certain the past few days have been awful for him, they’ve not been great for me either. /10
Irrespective of how John feels, his words are simply not compatible with an inclusive prize that celebrates all LGBTQ+ people. Just like a racist statement would not be allowed in a prize for writers of colour, or a sexist statement tolerated for a prize for feminist writers. /11
Nothing about this is pleasant, nobody is enjoying this or doing it for ‘woke points’. People have principles by which they stand, and 14 of us have decided that these no longer align with the Polari Prize. I stand by my decision, and every author that was called to make a similar choice. /12
Finally, far from least, the transgender people in this country who have been made to feel monstrous and inhuman by a constant barrage of misinformation and slander. How do they feel?
It is awful that anyone feels broken by this situation, but is there space for their feelings?
I fear not. /13
