‘TERF’ author John Boyne responds after LGBTQ+ literary prize was cancelled over his inclusion
"A loss brought about by the raging tantrums of people" wrote The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas author about the Polari Prize cancellation
By Aaron Sugg
Author John Boyne has spoken out after the annual Polari Prize, which celebrates LGBTQ+ writing, was cancelled this year following controversy surrounding his anti-trans remarks.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas author, saw his latest novel, Earth, long-listed just weeks after publicly describing himself as a “TERF” in an Irish Independent column.
“As a fellow Terf, I stand four-square behind her” – John Boyne on supporting JK Rowling
In that article, Boyne expressed admiration for JK Rowling, writing: “As a writer, I’m in awe of her achievements. As a reader, I love her work. And as a fellow Terf, I stand four-square behind her.”
He also controversially compared “grown women” who publicly disagreed with the Harry Potter author to characters in The Handmaid’s Tale “ready to pin a handmaiden down as her husband rapes her”.
In the wake of the prize’s cancellation, Boyne told The Telegraph that the decision was “an interesting example of self-cancellation.”
He said he had faced “an extraordinary amount of bullying and intimidation,” leaving him “close to the edge.”
Despite calls for him to step down, Boyne refused to withdraw, arguing that doing so would validate what he described to the newspaper as a “mob mentality”.
“A loss brought about by the raging tantrums of people” – Boyne on the cancelation of the Polari Prize
He wrote in a column for the publication: “Novelists would have been given free rein to spy on each other and report their neighbours.”
He continued: “Soon, other prizes would have followed suit, and it wouldn’t have been long until those lucky enough to be given a publishing deal would have gone through similar scrutiny from the moment those deals were announced.
“I couldn’t be party to that; it would have been the death of ideas, a loss brought about by the raging tantrums of people who, I suspect, have not read anything with more than 280 characters for many years.”
“Strange fixation” – Boyne on support for the trans community
He also criticised what he termed an “obsessive need to amplify the voices of trans people,” calling it a “strange fixation.”
Boyne emphasised that he held no ill will toward fellow authors who withdrew in protest, including trans author Nicola Dinan and Queer As Folklore writer Sacha Coward.
Over 800 names in the publishing industry, including Heartstopper author Alice Oseman, signed an open letter criticising his nomination.
The statement wrote: “We are profoundly disappointed by the Polari prize’s decision to include John Boyne on the longlist for this year’s Polari book prize.”
They elaborated: “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.”
In response to the backlash, Polari Prize organisers acknowledged the awards had been “overshadowed by hurt and anger,” describing it as “painful and distressing for all concerned.”
“[We] will endeavour to find a way forwards in good faith” – Polari Prize
They announced that this year’s prize would be paused while they increase the representation of trans and gender non-conforming judges and review governance procedures.
The book award group finalised their statement, writing: “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.”