Why I withdrew my book from an LGBTQ+ literary prize | Jason Okundaye

The Polari first book prize claims to promote trans rights and trans voices. But when I saw the longlist, I had to act

Last week, I withdrew my nomination from the longlist for the Polari first book prize. The awards had become mired in controversy due to the nomination of the Irish author John Boyne, best known for The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, for the main prize for his novel Earth. Four days before the longlist announcement, Boyne had written in the Irish Independent, celebrating JK Rowling as a fellow terf" and saying of women who had pilloried" her for her gender activism: For every Commander Waterford, there's a Serena Joy standing behind him, ready to pin a handmaiden down as her husband rapes her."

I think such a viewpoint is abhorrent, but Boyne is free to hold whatever views he wants. What was unacceptable was a statement from the Polari prize addressing the backlash, emphasising its commitment to support trans rights and amplify trans voices", but defending Boyne's inclusion on the grounds that submissions are assessed purely on the merits of craft and content" and that within our community, we can at times hold radically different positions on substantive issues".

Jason Okundaye is an assistant newsletter editor and writer at the Guardian. He edits The Long Wave newsletter and is the author of Revolutionary Acts: Love & Brotherhood in Black Gay Britain

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