Arts Council England faces legal threat over magazine’s withdrawal of poet’s work

Publicly funded journal pulled poem citing writer’s ‘social media presence’, with solicitors alleging discrimination over gender-critical views

A poet is threatening Arts Council England (ACE) with legal action after a magazine it funds withdrew her work from publication based on her “social media presence”, which she believes refers to gender-critical posts.

A letter sent to ACE by solicitors representing the poet Abigail Ottley last Tuesday, seen by the Guardian, argues the public body “failed” to “conduct a sufficient inquiry” into the decision not to publish Ottley’s poem made by the Aftershock Review, which the lawyers accuse of discrimination.