Polari Prize issues update after being plunged into controversy following inclusion of "TERF author" John Boyne on 2025 longlist
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The Polari Prize, the annual prize for LGBTQ+ literature, has issued an update after being plunged into controversy following the inclusion of "TERF author" John Boyne on its 2025 longlist. Boyne, best known for The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, has publicly described himself as a “TERF” (trans-exclusionary radical feminist), a stance that has sparked widespread backlash within the queer literary community.
Boyne’s novella Earth was longlisted for the Polari Book Prize, prompting more than half of the nominated authors to withdraw their works in protest. Among those who pulled out are Jane Traies, Andrew McMillan, Olumide Popoola, Eleanor Medhurst, Amy Twigg, Mae Diansangu, Jason Okundaye, Sanah Ashan and Sacha Coward. Two judges, Nicola Dinan and Bob Hughes, also resigned from their roles.
Writing on Instagram, Polari Prize said it wishes to "sincerely apologise" and accepts "the decision of those writers and judges who have chosen to withdraw."
The Polari Prize added: "We are committed to going forward with the prize this year. However, we will be intaking a full review of the prize processes, consulting representatives from across the community ahead of next year's awards, taking on board the learnings from this year."
The controversy intensified after Boyne published a tribute to J.K. Rowling in the Irish Independent, aligning himself with her views and referring to himself as a “fellow TERF”. In the piece, he criticised women who support trans rights, likening them to characters complicit in abuse from The Handmaid’s Tale.
