Singer Roisin Murphy says she doesn’t want ‘trans activists’ at her concerts
by The Washington Times AI News Desk · The Washington TimesIrish singer Roisin Murphy has sparked backlash on social media after declaring that she does not want “trans activists” attending her concerts, renewing controversy over her views on transgender issues that has already cost her at least one festival booking.
The “Overpowered” singer made the remarks in a series of X posts responding to a fan who argued that the LGBT community operates in unity. According to a report from British LGBT outlet Attitude, Ms. Murphy wrote that trans people were “changing the historical record, denying sexual orientation, piggybacking on their rights movement, undermining public acceptance and dismantling the culture” of the LGBTQ+ community. She also claimed that trans people coming out in childhood was significantly shrinking the number of gays and lesbians and shifting the “power dynamic” for the future, the outlet reported.
When a fan urged Ms. Murphy not to let the dispute overshadow her music, she doubled down, writing that she “need[s] to know my audience has my back,” adding, “It’s important to claim some territory on which an artist can safely stand. I do not want trans activists, aware or unaware of my stance, at my concerts, and neither do my fans. Other than that, all are welcome.” The post drew swift criticism from other X users, one of whom accused Ms. Murphy of having “sunk your career”, while another suggested she would be better suited touring Russia, where the LGBTQ+ movement has been officially designated as “extremist.”
The exchange is not the first time Ms. Murphy, a former member of the pop duo Moloko, has drawn fire for her comments on transgender issues. Last October, the singer was dropped as headliner of Turkey’s Back In Town Festival in Istanbul after she shared a chart purporting to show a decline in the number of young Americans identifying as transgender or nonbinary, captioning it, “It was never real.”
According to a report from music outlet NME, the data cited appears to be sourced from Tufts University’s Cooperative Election Study, though a San Diego State University professor who reviewed the figures told Fox News the decline likely reflected shifting social acceptance rather than an actual change in identification.
Festival organizers said in a statement, as reported by NME, that they would “never be comfortable including her in such a festival set-up” given her remarks, and replaced her with Turkish singer-songwriter Kalben.
Ms. Murphy has also faced criticism dating back to 2023, when she publicly criticized the use of puberty blockers for transgender youth, later apologizing for what she called an “eruption of damaging and potentially dangerous social-media fire and brimstone.”
This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times' AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times' original reporting, wire services, and/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.