The Polari Prize, a major UK literary award celebrating LGBTQ+ writing, is facing mounting criticism after nominating Irish author John Boyne for this year’s longlist. Boyne, best known for his 2006 bestseller The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, has previously described himself as a “terf”, an acronym for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist”, and attracted controversy over his portrayal of a trans character in his 2019 young adult novel My Brother’s Name Is Jessica.

Since the longlist was announced on August 1, half of the nominated authors have withdrawn their books in protest, and two judges have resigned from the prize’s panels. The backlash escalated further after more than 800 writers and publishing industry workers signed an open statement urging organisers to remove Boyne from the longlist.

Among those who have pulled out are Nicola Dinan, last year’s winner of the Polari First Book Prize for her novel Bellies, who resigned from judging this year’s debut category; Guardian journalist Jason Okundaye, who withdrew his book Revolutionary Acts from the First Book Prize longlist; poet Andrew McMillan, who removed his collection Pity from consideration for the main prize; and Eleanor Medhurst a historian, writer and lecturer who withdrew her novel, Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion from the First Book Prize longlist.

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Prominent signatories to the statement include Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman, alongside writers Nikesh Shukla, Julia Armfield, Naoise Dolan, Seán Hewitt, and Kirsty Logan.

The Polari Prize was founded in 2011 by author and activist Paul Burston and the Polari Salon to celebrate excellence in LGBTQ+ literature. In a statement released on August 7, the organisers said they were “committed to inclusion, not exclusion” and stated that it was important to include “radically different positions on substantive issues.”

For many critics, this framing is the heart of the problem. They argue that by presenting John Boyne’s stance as simply a “different position” within the LGBTQ+ community, the Polari Prize is ignoring the harm that such views cause.

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Boyne, who identifies as gay, has been a source of contention for years. In an April 2024 opinion piece for The Irish Times titled ‘Why I support trans rights but reject the word ‘cis’’, he wrote: “It will probably make some unhappy to know that I reject the word ‘cis,’ the term given by transgender people to their nontransgender brethren. I don’t consider myself a cis man; I consider myself a man.”

In a July 2025 article for the Irish Independent, Boyne also expressed his support for JK Rowling, and described himself “as a fellow Terf”.

With multiple withdrawals, a growing list of signatories, and ongoing social media debate, the controversy poses a significant challenge to the Polari Prize’s reputation as a platform for celebrating and safeguarding queer voices.