Organizers Halt LGBTQ+ Literary Awards After Backlash
The Polari Prize, one of the U.K.’s leading LGBTQ+ literary honors, will not be awarded this year following a controversy surrounding the longlisting of author John Boyne, author of ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’, organizers announced Monday. This is an update as well as a change in direction by the organization after their previous statement.
In a statement, the prize committee said it would pause the 2025 awards to conduct a governance review and expand representation of transgender and gender non-conforming voices on its judging panels. The decision follows two weeks of debate and criticism over Boyne’s inclusion, which prompted multiple authors and judges to withdraw in protest.
“Polari is not and has never been a trans exclusionary organization,” organizers said. “We condemn all forms of transphobia. What was meant to be a celebration of exceptional LGBTQ+ literature has instead been overshadowed by hurt and anger.”
The statement noted that the organization has long included trans, gender non-conforming and non-binary writers among its honorees, but acknowledged that the nomination of Boyne, who has described himself as a “TERF” and defended J.K. Rowling’s views on gender identity, has left many in the community feeling excluded.
For her part, Rowling reacted with profanity to the initial news of the controversy, “Oh, f*ck off. I hope everyone buys twice as many @JohnBoyneBooks, a) because he’s brilliant, and b) to piss off the Gender Taliban.”
Moving forward, Polari said it plans to strengthen trans and non-binary representation on all panels, review its governance structure, and open discussions about the balance between freedom of expression and creating inclusive spaces.
“We extend our heartfelt apologies to everyone affected this year, for the disappointment and despair this has caused,” the committee said. “We are a tiny operation that has run on goodwill and small pots of funding and sponsorship for 15 years and will endeavour to find a way forwards in good faith.”
The 2025 prize cycle is now canceled, with the awards expected to return next year.
