Arts Council England Faces Legal Threat Over Magazine's Withdrawal of Poet's Work
A poet is threatening Arts Council England (ACE) with legal action after a magazine it funds withdrew her work due to her 'social media presence', which she believes refers to gender-critical posts. The poet, Abigail Ottley, has taken the matter to court, accusing ACE of failing to conduct a sufficient inquiry into the Aftershock Review's decision not to publish her poem, which she believes is discriminatory.
Aftershock Review, launched by Max Wallis last year, received £32,368 from ACE in April 2025 and an additional £60,000 on January 28, 2026, according to ACE data. Ottley's poem was accepted for publication in September, but in October, she received an email informing her that the magazine had decided not to proceed with her work.
The email, cited in the legal letter, stated, 'Following an internal review, and in light of concerns raised about your social media presence, we've decided not to proceed with publishing your work in this issue.' The Aftershock Review, described as a trauma-informed and inclusive publication, cited a duty of care to ensure contributors and readers feel safe and respected, and this decision was made to uphold those principles.
Ottley did not receive a response when she asked for clarification on the specific element of her social media activity that led to the withdrawal. She complained to ACE in November and approached the Freedom in the Arts (FITA) organization, which also lodged a complaint that month. ACE responded on January 28, stating that it did not identify a breach of its terms and conditions of funding for grantees in Aftershock's decision-making.
FITA noted that Ottley's social media activity primarily consists of expressing and re-posting gender-critical views, including retweets of prominent gender-critical voices like JK Rowling. Her solicitors argued that, without further clarification, there are sufficient facts to establish that her gender-critical beliefs were the reason for discrimination.
The legal letter demands that ACE disclose all documents related to the complaint's January dismissal and requests that the complaint be re-opened, a lawful and fulsome investigation be conducted, and the decision to fund Aftershock be reviewed, based on the requirement for ACE grantees to comply with the Equality Act 2010 and not to discriminate.
A spokesperson for ACE declined to comment, citing ongoing legal proceedings. The Aftershock Review has not responded to requests for comment.
