<\/p>\n
R\u00f3is\u00edn Murphy<\/a> has been dropped from a festival in Istanbul, Turkey, after a recent trans post she shared sparked controversy.<\/p>\n The Irish singer first came under fire for her views towards the trans community in 2023 when she posted a comment on Facebook using her personal profile, criticising the use of puberty blockers<\/a> \u2013 medicines used to delay the changes of puberty for transgender and gender-diverse youth.<\/p>\n Murphy then backtracked on the comments<\/a>, saying that she \u201ccannot apologise enough for being the reason for this eruption of damaging and potentially dangerous social-media fire and brimstone\u201d.<\/p>\n Despite this, the singer last week made another comment online about trans people<\/a> \u2013 posting a chart purporting to show that the number of young people identifying as trans or non-binary has dropped significantly in recent years. \u201cIt was never real,\u201d she wrote in the caption. \u201cTerribly sad though. Absolute havoc wreaked on children, families and society.\u201d<\/p>\n The data appears to be sourced from Tufts University\u2019s Cooperative Election Study, and is based on a survey taken across the US for 18-22 year olds between 2021 and 2024. Despite the findings seemingly showing a decline in people identifying as trans or non binary, Jean Twenge, a professor at San Diego State University, analysed the data and outlined how the drop is likely something that reflects worsening social conditions, rather than an actual change in identification.<\/p>\n \u201cOne possibility is changes in acceptance,\u201d Twenge said to Fox News. \u201cSo acceptance increased, more young adults identified as transgender and\/or were willing to identify as transgender in a survey. When acceptance declined, identifying as transgender (or at least identifying as transgender on a survey) declined.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, following Murphy\u2019s comments, Back In Town Festival in Istanbul removed Murphy from the line-up over the weekend.<\/p>\n In a statement (as per Stereogum<\/i><\/a>), they said: \u201cWe are extremely excited about the Back In Town Festival, which will be held for the first time this year. From the idea phase, we started with the dream of a true music festival centred in Istanbul, which we missed \u2013 including everyone in all its diversity, where everyone can feel safe and belong.<\/p>\n \u201cOur entire language of communication, our selection of artists, and our partners have been shaped to strengthen this texture with all the opportunities available to us. With the same perspective, we added R\u00f3is\u00edn Murphy to our line-up as a headliner, believing that she represents the energy we missed and touched many of you in a sincere place.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, the statements she shared in recent days completely eliminated these feelings. Because we would never be comfortable including her in such a festival set-up, we would like to state that we cannot include her in our programme, keeping the values we try to introduce to you above all things \u2013 and knowing that this stance cannot have any financial equivalent.<\/p>\n \u201cBack in Town Festival will take place as planned with the new headliner that we will announce soon. We thank you for being with us, and we expect understanding from everyone whose hearts we have unintentionally broken.\u201d<\/p>\n The mob is out in force. The more I see of this cruel \u201cactivism,\u201d the more convinced I am that I do not want them anywhere near me or my music, however that may affect my career. I won\u2019t be held to ransom\u2014no more blackmail. What I see more than anything is a spoiled and entitled\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 R\u00f3is\u00edn Murphy (@roisinmurphy) October 23, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In response to the criticism she received last week, Murphy posted a lengthy X post which read: \u201cThe mob is out in force. The more I see of this cruel \u2018activism\u2019, the more convinced I am that I do not want them anywhere near me or my music, however that may affect my career. I won\u2019t be held to ransom \u2013 no more blackmail. What I see more than anything is a spoiled and entitled childishness. I am not interested in being their \u2018mother\u2019 or \u2018queen\u2019; these babies need to grow up and allow artists like myself the dignity of opinion and the space and freedom to create. Or let them have AI pop star avatars that never question them. Let the music industry do its worst; let it continue to infantilize and exploit them.<\/p>\n \u201cLet them have a hologram, perfectly designed for an insular, echo-chamber culture. Perhaps I\u2019ve lived through the last moments of the best period in popular music and, in fact, it\u2019s over \u2013 or at least it is at the beginning of the end. If that is so, I have nothing to lose.<\/p>\n \u201cJust for the record, I have zero hate toward trans people; I do not deny anyone\u2019s existence. The post that has caused such frantic panic among the trans activist mob is a graph that shows a steep decline in trans and non-binary identity in young people over the past few years in the USA. My declaration \u2018it was never real\u2019 refers to the contagion that was undoubtedly aided by the submission of the media, captured medical institutions, and social media derangement. Recently, this wilfully blind and irresponsible behaviour has been curtailed to some degree, as more and more people affected by it stand up and demand a long-needed audit of trans ideology, which continues to stamp its boot across anyone who decries its negative consequences. Children, families, women, and gay people have all been adversely affected by the insane belief that one can change sex \u2013 the core hallucination of this destructive and insidious movement \u2013 while bad faith actors have lined their pockets.<\/p>\n \u201cThe arts as a whole are a shadow of their former free and inclusive selves. I\u2019ve had the most free and fun time possible making the music I believe in over the past 30 years. If being a compassionate artist is to be my downfall now, then so be it. I know in my heart that one day, I will be remembered as a brave person, both morally and artistically uncompromising. In the long run, that will be my legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n Last week, artists including CMAT<\/a>, Lambrini Girls<\/a>, and The Blessed Madonna<\/a> were among those who criticised\u00a0Murphy\u2018s posts about transgender people.<\/a><\/p>\n In a video shared on Instagram, American musician The Blessed Madonna, who identifies as non-binary, hit out at Murphy, saying: \u201cI saw that post today. I just have to say, however long it takes, go fuck yourself R\u00f3is\u00edn. You had me fooled once, you really did. And many people. But you were never a queer icon. You\u2019re another dusty TERF that knows how to count queer money and serve a look.\u201d<\/p>\n Lambrini Girls also went on to list a number of reasons why the graph seemed to show a decline in the number of people identifying as trans or non binary. They outlined how it could be due to how \u201can increased anti-trans rhetoric, legislative attempts of erasure, are going to affect reporting\u201d, and how \u201cpoliticians and the media are making it unsafe for trans and non binary people to exist\u201d.<\/p>\n CMAT also took to Instagram Stories to stand in solidarity with the trans and non binary communities, sharing: \u201cI sincerely hope that A Certain Other Irish Pop Star gets the help that she needs, but right now she is very publicly acting like a bully and is absolutely not a voice to be listened to or trusted when it comes to trans lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Murphy has continued to tour with big names and at big festivals since the controversy in 2023. In 2024 she joined Johnny Marr in supporting New Order<\/a> at a huge outdoor show in Manchester, and that summer also saw her headline All Together Now Festival<\/a> in Ireland alongside The National<\/a> and Jorja Smith<\/a>.<\/p>\n Also in 2024 she joined Pulp<\/a>, Justice<\/a>, Troye Sivan<\/a>, PJ Harvey<\/a>, Bikini Kill<\/a>, Charli XCX<\/a>, and more in performing at Primavera Sound<\/a>, and in 2025 she has performed at festivals including LIDO<\/a>, MEO Kalorama<\/a>, and Electric Castle<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n