Basil Papademos won the Bisexual Erotic Fiction award for his novel Mount Royal (Tightrope Books) at the Bisexual Book Awards in New York City on June 2. According to the website examiner.com, while on his way home to Montreal, Papademos was stopped by border patrol, detained, searched, and interrogated.

“I’d thrown it [the award] on top of my stuff before closing my bag and heading for Montreal. When the border cops opened my bag they pulled out the trophy and I swear to goddess, the guy sneered and said: ‘I didn’t know they give awards out for being bisexual.’

I, of course, could not resist replying: ‘Only if you’re really good.’

It went downhill from there. I was detained in a holding cell for over eight hours where I was interrogated. They seized my phone and computer, claiming my work could ‘possibly be considered obscene according to Canadian law.'”

Papademos told the Examiner he suspects he might have been stopped because he used to live in Bangkok and authorities may have assumed he had been there for the purposes of child pornography.

Papademos has not filed a complaint, worrying he will be stopped every time he crosses the border.