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Irish disco musician Róisín Murphy was dropped as the headliner of a music festival in Istanbul, Turkey, after her recent remarks about the apparent decline in young people identifying as transgender. On 21 October, Murphy posted a graph on X, formerly Twitter, which purported to show a steep decline in the number of 18 to 22-year-olds in the US who identified as trans or non-binary between 2022 and 2024. Experts have since responded to the dataset behind the graph, which was pulled from Tufts University’s Cooperative Election Study, to suggest that the decline in young people identifying as trans could be the result of a decline in the acceptance of trans people. However, Murphy suggested in her post that the rise of people identifying as trans and non-binary “was never real”. “Terribly sad though. Absolute havoc wreaked on children, families and society,” she added. It was never real. Terribly sad though. Absolute havoc wreaked on children, families and society. pic.twitter.com/ULx4QT20ww— Róisín Murphy (@roisinmurphy) October 21, 2025 The 52-year-old “Murphy’s Law” singer was slammed for her comments by other musicians, including fellow Irish singer-songwriter CMAT, DJ The Blessed Madonna, and rock band Lambrini Girls. On Friday 24 October, Róisín Murphy had been due to headline the Back In Town Festival in Istanbul, Turkey, but was pulled from the lineup at the last minute. In a statement shared by the festival on Friday, translated into English via music publication Stereogum, the organisers said that they were no longer “comfortable” having Murphy perform. The organisers wrote that they wanted the festival environment to be one where “everyone can feel safe and belong” and had added Murphy – despite her previous, contentious remarks about trans youth and puberty blockers – as they felt she had “the energy” to match their intentions. “However, the statements she shared in recent days completely eliminated these feelings,” the statement reads. “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 program, keeping the values we try to introduce to you above all things — and knowing that this stance cannot have any financial equivalent. “Back 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.” Murphy was replaced by Turkish singer-songwriter Kalben. In a lengthy response published on her X account, Murphy stated that she did not want “cruel” trans activists “anywhere near [her] or [her] music, however that may affect my career”. “I won’t be held to ransom – no more blackmail. What I see more than anything is a spoiled and entitled childishness. I am not interested in being their ‘mother’ or ‘queen’; these babies need to grow up and allow artists like myself the dignity of opinion and the space and freedom to create,” she wrote. She continued by insisting that she has “zero hate towards trans people” and does not “deny anyone’s existence”. The mob is out in force. The more I see of this cruel “activism,” 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’t be held to ransom—no more blackmail. What I see more than anything is a spoiled and entitled…— Róisín Murphy (@roisinmurphy) October 23, 2025 Reflecting on the post that caused uproar, she wrote: “My declaration ‘it was never real’ 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.” Referring to the rise in trans youth as a social “contagion” stems from the introduction of the Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD) conspiracy theory, introduced in 2016 by physician Lisa Littman. The theory has been widely debunked and discredited, but is continually cited by gender-critical activists. Murphy rounded off her statement by writing about her own musical legacy, arguing that she would be remembered as a “compassionate artist” and “a brave person”. In 2023, Murphy sparked upset for calling puberty blockers “f**ked” and referred to young trans people as “mixed-up little kids”.Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
