❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Polari Prize, an LGBT literature award, has been paused after pro-trans backlash against author John Boyne—who has supported J.K. Rowling—being included on the longlist.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Author John Boyne, other longlisted authors, the Polari Prize’s organizers, and pro-trans ideologues.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The controversy began after the longlist announcement on August 1, culminating in the prize’s cancellation.
💬KEY QUOTE: “[J.K.] Rowling’s critics claim she is transphobic, the greatest sin of our time, and use the usual tedious hyperbole to demonise her.” – John Boyne
🎯IMPACT: The Polari Prize will not be awarded this year, and organizers plan to increase trans and gender non-conforming representation on future judging panels.
The Polari Prize, a prominent LGBT literary award in Britain, has been cancelled for 2025 amid pro-trans backlash over author John Boyne’s inclusion on its longlist. Boyne, best known for The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, drew criticism in July for writing a newspaper article supporting Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s views in favor of women’s rights over transgender ideology.
In the article, Boyne, who is openly gay, referred to himself as a “fellow Terf” (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) and defended Rowling. “Rowling’s critics claim she is transphobic, the greatest sin of our time, and use the usual tedious hyperbole to demonise her,” he said. Boyne also defended Rowling’s stance on women having access to safe, male-free spaces, accusing some of her critics of being “astonishingly complicit in their own erasure.”
After the longlist was made public on August 1, multiple authors withdrew their names in protest, describing Boyne’s statements as “disgusting” and “abhorrent.” One of the prize’s judges, Nicola Dinan, also stepped down, citing alleged concerns about inclusion and representation.
Boyne has maintained his position, stating clearly that his “views on trans rights have never changed” despite “endless harassment at the hands of both strangers and fellow writers.” Rowling, for her part, has said she is “Thinking of setting up an annual prize to celebrate the most craven, bootlicking capitulation to the Gender Taliban by a supposedly liberal organisation,” adding that the Polari Prize is a “strong contender for 2025,” with the Edinburgh Fringe and National Library “running them close.”
The Edinburgh Fringe recently stirred controversy after inviting males and females to use whatever public restrooms they preferred at events. The National Library of Scotland removed a book critical of gender ideology featuring essays from writers including Rowling, following pressure from the institution’s internal “LGBTQ+ network.”
Thinking of setting up an annual prize to celebrate the most craven, bootlicking capitulation to the Gender Taliban by a supposedly liberal organisation. @PolariPrize a strong contender for 2025, but @edfringe and the National Library running them close. Nominations still open. https://t.co/SByvg0AEVC
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 18, 2025
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