Amy Stanley

I’m going to put together the Polari long listers (sans Boyne) who were deprived of their chance to win the Polari Prize, along with their nominated books. Once I’ve done it I’ll post it up on here and on Twitter.

Boyne’s gloating at book sales while others have suffered is a bit tacky tbh.

Unfriendly reminder: the Polari is a prize one submits one's book to (correct me if I'm wrong, but this is from listening to nominees & looking up the procedure), which means Boyne or someone acting on his behalf submitted to an LGBTQ+ prize not believing LGBTQ+ is a community then got mad about it.

what a ridiculous statement. in the liberal mind the only thing that you can ever do is vote. so wildly ahistorical. so wildly self-defeating.

normal people don't say "triggered" or "heteronormative," they say they gave their life to christ in a cracker barrel parking lot

Masked raids are tools of fear, not freedom. Despite what this administration wants you to believe, they are not about “safety.” They are about letting ICE agents hide from accountability while carrying out inhumane acts.

From the transgenderUK community on Reddit Explore this post and more from the transgenderUK community

www.reddit.com/r/transgende...

Guess what?
The story about the trans M&S employee and the bra fitting is a pack of lies and distortions.
Want to know what really happened and how colleagues stood up for her?
Read her own account here.

It was @annieknk.bsky.social on Manclan who first made me aware of the intersectional nature of bigotry. Accepting hierarchical discrimination in one instance makes you more likely to accept it in others. It's not a coincidence the terfs are zionists, it's a natural consequence of them choosing hate

Basically I am still incredibly angry with M&S even if they're supposedly supporting the trans woman here and not actually making any negative policy changes, because they've avoidably allowed a piece of propaganda to fester which, despite being a lie, has indelibly entered people's consciousness

Terrorism used to be when you killed people.

Now terrorism is when you try to stop people being killed.

Text post screenshot. A transgender M&S manager addresses recent articles about them. They recount an interaction in the lingerie section where they offered help to a woman and teen. The customer declined, and the manager, who isn't a bra fitter, proceeded to put away returns. Weeks later, a complaint was filed citing the manager's "deep booming masculine voice" and "masculine facial features." The manager clarifies they never offered bra fitting advice and that their colleagues are supportive. The manager's boss dismissed the complaint, affirming their support. The manager expresses distress over the complaint's personal attacks.

A screenshot of a text post from a trans woman detailing her positive experiences working at M&S after undergoing Facial Feminisation Surgery. She describes receiving support from colleagues and management, including gifts and messages, after the surgery. The post addresses a newspaper article that insinuated M&S was not supportive, clarifying that the company has been overwhelmingly supportive. The author emphasizes that M&S allows any colleague to train as a bra fitter and any customer to book an appointment, regardless of gender identity. She also clarifies that the lingerie department and walkway to menswear are not "women only" spaces and that she does not enter occupied fitting rooms. The author concludes by stating that M&S respects her as a trans woman and a valued colleague, and that the real issue is tabloid newspapers twisting stories for profit.

Information relating to the M&S complaint, reportedly from the trans woman whom the complaint was about. Almost everything claimed in recent articles is extremely inaccurate. 1/

The opera house has set sail

Yikes, given all the allusions to his own sexual status (I was going to say sexuality - I more mean, the "look at me, I f***" vibe, not that he's gay), the sex negativity is really jarring.

For someone who's been silenced, he sure is loud.

Free speech to someone like this really just means "you should be forced to listen to what I say and can never disagree".

The Polari Prize is fundamentally damaged, because Paul Burston, the founder of the prize, is a "gender critical" movement supporter.

No trans person can accept or take part in this award as long as Paul - or anyone with so-called "gender critical beliefs" - remains a part of it in any capacity.

John Boyne Here's what happened when they tried to cancel me My nomination for the Polari Prize led to this year's award being abandoned entirely - we're supposed to believe in free speech

Again, I am begging the libs to notice who it is that has been invading and shittifying their institutions and celebrations for years, and turning them all into weapons of bigotry and hatred, and to look at who has been supporting and encouraging them throughout. These people are your adversaries.

Queer Authors Withdraw From Writing Prize En Masse Over Inclusion of Self-Proclaimed TERF — Assigned A UK LGBTQ+ writing prize seems to be crumbling as the queer community protests the inclusion of an anti-trans writer on the long list. Trans prisoners in Georgia accuse the state of cruel and unusual...

Since John Boyne having said "all I will ever say" had the lifespan of a mayfly, here are the other Polari Prize longlist authors, with links to their books (article by @evanurquhart.bsky.social). Click the link in the opening para to go straight to the list.

Oh look, Johnboy is doing the "I've been cancelled" meme, while being interviewed yet again. I saw one other author from the Polari prize write their own piece, I don't think I've seen any of the other authors or judges being interviewed

People not liking you is not being cancelled John

"Have kids. Not kids you can't afford. No, we won't help if you can't afford them. Just have kids."

There is not yet wide evidence that "gen AI" actually enhances researchers' and developers' results. Some of the most headline-grabbing work that claimed it does is now actively disavowed by the institution under which auspices it was done. That is a MASSIVE ding on the reliability of that research.

I really hope the people who were "just asking questions" about trans rights are happy now the questions that are being asked are "do trans people have the right to any life outside their own homes", "who exactly gets to decide that someone doesn't look like a women" and "do trans people even exist"

Media headline ‘Pro Israel group pressured Bendigo Writers’ Festival over Palestinian Writer’, picture of the author, id of the group as 5A.

Here’s a star Australian writer & speaker that would grace any arts event. Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah has been targeted by unnamed people in a pressure group intent on censoring her, damaging her career, & restraining other writers. Any organisation which bows to this discrimination will be disgraced.

UK’s first transgender judge seeks rehearing of supreme court case on biological sex Exclusive: Victoria McCloud says court undermined her rights to a fair trial when it refused to hear her evidence

The UK Supreme Court took representation from anti-trans groups but none from trans groups or people, before ruling that even trans women with a GRC can not access women’s spaces.
This creates unenforceable, dangerous and cruel restrictions on trans access to public space. It must be reversed.

Text version: pivot-to-ai.com/2025/08/17/a...

Haven, Kickstarter

William Lavelle is launching Haven, a Gen AI-free video social media platform!

Stop Gen AI blog:

stopgenai.com?p=446

The Kickstarter:

www.kickstarter.com/projects/hav...

Help him get to $100k USD.

Donate or share! Share, share, share!

People regard creativity as a product, rather than a process, and value it as such (if at all). (Which is ironic because they call themselves writers, because they're literate and can draw letters)

The Covid pandemic is not done with us! Please wear a mask to protect those in your community with compromised immune systems*. 😷

* cancer patients, the elderly, asthmatics, diabetics, etc.

I can't draw. Physical limitations - pain during gripping. I recognise I can't have what I want. That's life. When did we demand that we had to have access to a skill with no work? It's mental. (I'm creative in other ways, and I work at that)