The 'Women's Prize' that's open to everyone

A blistering response to the Women’s Prize For Fiction from the Wild Women Writing club.

“To the directors and trustees,

We regret that, instead of acknowledging receipt of our letter and responding to us directly, you decided to issue a public statement mischaracterising us as “bullying” the judges, and the male author on the longlist.
We completely reject that mischaracterisation. It feeds the perception—among liberal left people—that women standing up for women’s rights and interests against the deliberate confusion and upheaval of transgender ideology, and the appropriation of women’s resources by males—are in the wrong, even when we express our rational objections in carefully-written essays.

Our intention is not to bully you, nor is it to bully the male author on the longlist. This is not a personal issue. It is about women writers having resources, having hope and encouragement—the very things which lead the founder to establish the prize. We wish to safeguard this valuable cultural resource from male appropriation, so that current and future women authors are not demoralised by having to accept the offensive label “cis,” and smile when a man wins the prize which could have changed her life.”

This led me to thinking. Why don’t we crowdfund a Women’s Prize for fiction and allow only women to enter? And by women, I mean, adult human females. So this would be open to transmen as well. * Jane Harris, are you game?

Hey! We can call it ‘The Women’s Prize’.

* So don’t dare call it trans-exclusionary, Katie Herzog, you unethical, carreerist coward.