Our Community Market, Joy for All, is this Saturday! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Our Artist Highlight for today is Rowantree Makes! They make makes cosy knits and cheerful jewellery from upcycled materials, including button pins, Pride flag knits, and all the pendants and earrings you can eat (please do not eat) 💪

The BBC should join the growing number of broadcasters to boycott Eurovision if Israel is involved. The UK should not take part in Eurovision Song Contest as genocide continues in Gaza. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Polari Prize saga shows us how the Overton window on Trans+ rights has shifted 👇

https://www.wearequeeraf.com/polari-prize-saga-shows-us-how-the-overton-window-on-trans-rights-has-shifted/

This is a link to the contact form if anyone wants to make a complaint

auth.nls.uk/contact/feed...

You cannot be welcoming and inclusive whilst *promoting* the works of those intent on our eradication

The National Library become the latest of our literary institutions to surrender wholesale to anti-trans campaigners.

"We will always be inclusive, and we will always welcome everyone to the library."

This, unfortunately, simply is not true as they promote bigotry.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Today, along with over 80 partner organisations, we are writing to MPs across the UK calling for robust Parliamentary scrutiny of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) forthcoming Code of Practice. Read the full statement on our website:

www.scottishtrans.org/scottish-tra...

Introducing Jommo Calley who will be reading their work for those lucky enough to be coming to our QUEER Riot literary cabaret event in just 4 days! 🤯 See you on Sun 24 @lighthousebks.bsky.social

Jommo is a Malawian/Scottish poet exploring the intersectionality of identity, inequality & injustice.

Grab a pal and come along to our Queer RIOT event @lighthousebks.bsky.social this Sun 24 Aug, 1pm, to hear Nyla Noor read their work!🌈

Nyla is a queer South Asian artist weaving storytelling, poetry, and visual arts into deep explorations of queerness, intergenerational trauma, and radical healing.

Sol Vardi is reading at our Queer RIOT event happening this Sun 24 Aug, 1pm @lighthousebks.bsky.social!

Sol is a writer & spoken word poet who explores queer & immigrant experiences. Their poetry weaves political issues, humour & queer joy, alongside everyday experiences of life in Edinburgh.

With this debacle finally over let us hope that this is a lesson to all who seek to represent our community - we will not accept those who would divide us and assault our rights to be rewarded on our behalf.

Solidarity means something. Solidarity delivered. Thank you to all who took a stand.

I wrote about the decision myself and other authors took to withdraw from the longlist of the Polari Book Prizes for LGBTQ+ writers www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

"It was not a difficult or painful decision – I felt misled about the principles underpinning the organisation and I no longer cared to be awarded by it."

"The swell of public support is behind those who are supportive of the entire LGBTQ+ community."

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Looking forward to the riot!

Join us in Edinburgh next Sun 24th August as readers from the queer community bring you their rage, revolution, and renewal, breaking free with a riotous round of readings with a Q&A to follow! 🌟

⏰ Sunday 24th August, 1-1.45pm
📍 @lighthousebks.bsky.social, 43-45 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh

Assigned Media tracked down every single queer author who withdrew from the Polari Prize after they longlisted a self-proclaimed TERF, and linked to all their books.

These authors showed solidarity and our story is blowing up with traffic from people who want to support them in return.

Finally, far from least, the transgender people in this country who have been made to feel monstrous and inhuman by a constant barrage of misinformation and slander. How do they feel?

It is awful that anyone feels broken by this situation, but is there space for their feelings?

I fear not. /13

Irrespective of how John feels, his words are simply not compatible with an inclusive prize that celebrates all LGBTQ+ people. Just like a racist statement would not be allowed in a prize for writers of colour, or a sexist statement tolerated for a prize for feminist writers. /11

Time and time again our media deliberately excludes the voices of our community when it speaks out in solidarity of trans people - whilst handing a loud speaker to the few who seek to divide us.

Losing everyone to keep a transphobe.

Was it worth it, Polari Prize?

The community believes in solidarity among us, even if you don't.

UK readers, if you can't afford to buy any of these books, order them from your local library. The authors will see your support through loan figures and PLR. You don't even have to finish reading them if you don't want!

15 of 24 authors, and two judges, have now withdrawn.

First Book:
Curtis Garner, Jason Okundaye, Sacha Coward, Sanah Ahsan, Amy Twigg, Mae Diansangu, Eleanor Medhurst, Hanako Footman, Ciara Maguire, June Thomas

Main:
Olumide Popoola, Robert Hamberger, Andrew McMillan, Rhian Elizabeth, Jane Traies

EXACTLY as trans people predicted...

Cis women & non-binary people are being harassed & assaulted in toilets since the supreme court misjudgement. @libbybrooks.bsky.social in the Guardian.

I'm now working on a way to monitor, document and record incidents like these.

Attn @cliveefford.bsky.social

3 books out of 12 left on the Polari First Book longlist, 7 out of 12 remaining on the main longlist. a colossal show of solidarity esp from debut authors