A transphobic post again brings Róisín Murphy into criticism – now a festival is reacting. Background and reactions here.
Róisín Murphy recently caused a shitstorm on X with a re-posting that was perceived as an anti-trans post. And that after the singer swore silence following controversial statements on the same topic in the summer of 2023. As a result of Murphy’s new comments, promoters canceled their festival headline gig.
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What happened before
On Tuesday, October 21st, the musician published a graphic on She commented on the screenshot, whose data comes from Tufts University’s Cooperative Election Study, with the words: “This was never real. Still, it is terribly sad. It has wreaked absolute havoc on children, families and society.”
The artist received sharp criticism for her statement and then argued with users of the platform in the comments and other posts. The post disappeared from her feed a short time later and was only viewable via secondary sources. The graphic is now available again on her X profile and has now received more than a million views.
The graphic for Murphy’s statement:
Status quo: cancellation of the headliner gig
Following the comments, the singer was pulled from a festival in Istanbul, Türkiye. Murphy was scheduled to headline the Back In Town Festival on Sunday evening, October 26th, and was replaced at short notice by Turkish singer and songwriter Kalben.
The organizers made a statement via Instagram. The festival is designed to include “all people in all their diversity” and every person should be able to “feel safe and belong” there. According to the artist’s most recent statements, this can no longer be guaranteed and she has therefore been removed from the line-up.
Statement from the festival organizers:
Murphy’s reaction to criticism and gig cancellation
Shortly afterwards, the former Moloko frontwoman commented on X. In her contribution, she justified herself to the “trans activist crowd” – as she calls her critics – and, in addition to making further accusations against the public, made a reference to her art.
She wrote, among other things: “The arts as a whole are now only a shadow of their former freedom and inclusivity.” She went on to say that she will one day be remembered as a “courageous person who was uncompromising both morally and artistically. In the long run, that will be my legacy.”