Oh honestly. The levels of spite and petty malice here.

By an unhappy coincidence, the Polari Prize nonsense blew up the following day and, from my very first reply, my messages over the next 6 weeks were completely ignored, as were messages from my agent.

This morning, under threat of legal action, they finally deigned to respond, simply informing me that they were withdrawing the award.

How any organisation can say that my “insistence on empathy, justice, and authenticity is more vital than ever”, that I “confront uncomfortable truths with courage”, and that for “college students navigating questions of identity, belonging, and ethical responsibility, your work is not only moving, it is essential” and then rescind their prize when I demonstrate those very qualities is baffling.

Their cowardice is disappointing, but at least gives me another opportunity to be clear:

Awards are ultimately meaningless. The books matter. Readers matter. And if using one’s platform to defend the rights of women, children, lesbians and gay men means that some plaque doesn’t end up on my wall… well, I won’t be losing any sleep over it.

I’m staggered by the childish pettiness of not answering for all these weeks.

Trans ideology really is some kind of corrosive substance that eats the brain.