JOHN BOYNE HAS called for an end to ‘online bullying’ against him in light of the recent controversy over his inclusion in the longlist for an LGBTQ+ literature prize.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas author was longlisted for his book Earth, causing eight Polari Prize nominees and two judges to withdraw from the competition.

Boyne has publicly aligned himself with gender critical activist JK Rowling and has described himself as a ‘terf’.

Terf is acronym for the phrase “trans exclusionary radical feminist”. In essence, it is someone who is campaigning for feminist ideals whilst excluding transgender women.

Due to his inclusion in the longlist for the Polari Prize, last year’s first prize winner Nicola Dinan, author of Bellies, resigned from the judging panel.

Over 800 writers and workers in the publishing industry signed a statement asking Polari to remove Boyne.

The letter said: “We are profoundly disappointed by the Polari Prize’s decision to include John Boyne on the longlist for this year’s Polari Book Prize. The prize, in its own words, was founded on principles of diversity and inclusion.”

“Mr Boyne’s public statements on trans rights and identity are incompatible with the LGBTQ+ community’s most basic standards of inclusion. Trans people’s existence and their right to live full public lives as they choose are matters of fact, not questions for debate.”

The authors said his inclusion was “inexcusable” due to “rising anti-trans hatred and systematic exclusion of trans people from public life in the UK and across the world”.

In his response, published on X, Boyne confirmed he will not withdraw from the competition, and thanked the prize organisers for not removing him from the longlist.

He called for the debut authors who pulled out of the longlist for prize to return, and asked judges not to consider his book for the shortlist if they do.

The author said he “came very close to the edge” due to  “endless harassment” he received over his inclusion in the competition.

He added: “Online bullying has to stop”.

In a statement, The Polari Prize reasserted its commitment to supporting trans rights and amplifying trans voices.

It said: “While we do not eliminate books based on the wider views of a writer, we regret the upset and hurt this has caused.  Polari is committed to inclusion, not exclusion.”

Boyne has received criticism for his gender identity views since the release of his book, ‘My Brother’s Name is Jessica’ in 2019.

Critics said the book misrepresented trans people, including misgendering the transgender character in the book’s title.

Last month, Boyne shared a tribute to his friend JK Rowling.

He said: ‘As a writer, I’m in awe of her achievements. As a reader, I love her work. And as a fellow Terf, I stand four-square behind her’.