The Irish author John Boyne, best known for the children's and young adult novel "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" about World War II and the Holocaust, was nominated for the prize of the year for his latest novel "Earth". However, it is not his book that has sparked protests, but his support for JK Rowling's view on trans issues.
Boyne published an article on July 27 in Irish Independent where he, among other things, writes that women who go against the Harry Potter author are "surprisingly complicit in their own erasure". He also calls himself Rowling's terf colleague (trans-exclusionary radical feminist).
After about 800 people in the British book industry signed a protest letter against his nomination, the organizers now choose to pause the prize distribution this year.
"What was supposed to be a celebration of exceptional hbtqi literature has been overshadowed by pain and anger" they write in a statement where they apologize to all those affected.
In recent years, Rowling has often expressed herself in a way that many perceive as transphobic. She herself means that she is misunderstood and that her agenda is to defend women's rights and safety.
