Writers Raise Funds for UK and SA Transgender Rights

Two award-winning authors, South Africa’s Lauren Beukes and Britain’s Jeannette Ng, are helping to raise funds for transgender rights through an online charity auction.

The wordsmiths came up with the idea of creating the “Genre Creators for Trans Rights Auction” after a recent chance encounter at EasterCon, the annual genre fiction convention in the UK.

“It was a small personal response to the UK’s Supreme Court’s devastating and dehumanising ruling against trans women and seeing how international funding cuts are affecting South African queer rights organisations,” say Beukes, author of The Shining Girls.

“I’d brought a suitcase full of rare editions of my books to sell off for trans charities, and Jeannette Ng suggested we turn it into an auction and it kind of blew up,” she explains.

“We love that it’s about the community, that people really, really care about this issue and want to do something,” adds Ng, who is best known for her novel Under the Pendulum Sun. 

Terry Pratchett’s Estate Offers Support 

All proceeds from the auction, made possible with the support of Eastercon, will be split equally between The Good Law Project’s legal campaign to fight for trans rights in the UK, and The Triangle Project, one of the oldest LGBTQ+ non-governmental organizations in South Africa. 

Along with donations from authors, crafters, creators, artists and various others in the community behind the scenes, have already raised over £14000. Bidders are vying for signed copies, workshops, sensitivity reads and critiques, crocheted creatures and comic collectables, plus a signed first edition of Terry Pratchett’s The Monstrous Regiment – by far the highest value item currently at just over £6000.

The book was generously donated by his daughter Rhianna Pratchett, and biographer, estate trustee and producer Rob Wilkins, who dug through the archives especially, because it notably features a trans character.

“Terry was always very proud of his trans fans and the fact that they found comfort and support in his stories,” The Pratchett Estate said. “He’d undoubtedly be delighted to support a cause like this whilst simultaneously furious that it’s needed in the first place.”

Another major item up for auction is Beukes’ writing desk, the one she’s written four novels on, including The Shining Girls. “I am very sad to part with it and would love to see it find a good home,” she says.

One of the donors is Roz Kaveney, writer, critic, and transgender rights activist who says the auction has been amazing: “I transitioned five decades ago in a very different time but the SFF [Science Fiction and Fantasy] fan and professional community has always been so supportive that it felt like home. This auction reinforced that sense. I’m glad to have been a part of it.”

A Statement of Solidarity

Ling Sheperd at The Triangle Project says the auction is going to have a huge impact: “This generous donation is not just financial support, it’s a statement of solidarity in a world where trans rights are under constant threat. In the face of increasing international funding cuts and global pressures, it means we can continue our vital work on advocating for policy changes, providing crucial support services, and fighting against the growing wave of discrimination.”

The original auction is scheduled to end on 2 May, but due to overwhelming support, it will be extended to 07 June 2025, with original bids being honoured for current items and marked as ‘sold’ after this point.

Unfortunately, the auction page cannot be accessed from South Africa, but Beukes has urged South Africans in the UK to consider supporting the initiative. They can visit the auction page here: http://bit.ly/genrefortrans. Indie bookstore Dryad Books is also hosting a goodie bag raffle which ends on 4 May.

“The decision of the UK courts and the UK government to strip trans people of their long-held rights is shocking. The message is clear,” Ng says, “Genre creators and SFF authors will fight for trans people.”