Róisín Murphy booted from Istanbul festival for anti-trans social media posts
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Irish singer Róisín Murphy was removed from the line-up of Istanbul’s inaugural Back In Town Festival after posting controversial comments about trans and non-binary identities on social media.
Murphy, known for her work with Moloko, was due to headline the festival on 26 October. However, organisers announced her removal following backlash over a post she shared on X (formerly Twitter), which included a graph suggesting a decline in the number of young people identifying as trans or non-binary in the United States between 2021 and 2024. She captioned the post: “It was never real. Terribly sad though. Absolute havoc wreaked on children, families and society.”
The festival, which aims to celebrate diversity and inclusion, issued a statement explaining their decision: “From the idea phase, we started with the dream of a true music festival centred in Istanbul… where everyone can feel safe and belong. However, the statements she shared in recent days completely eliminated these feelings.”
Murphy responded to the criticism of her comments with a lengthy post, stating: “The mob is out in force… I have zero hate toward trans people; I do not deny anyone’s existence.” She defended her comments as a critique of what she described as “media submission” and “social media derangement,” and expressed concern over what she views as the negative consequences of trans ideology.
This is not the first time Murphy has faced backlash over her views. In 2023, she criticised the use of puberty blockers for trans youth, later apologising for the hurt caused and pledging to bow out of the public conversation. Despite that promise, she has since revisited the topic multiple times.
Murphy was replaced at the festival by Turkish singer-songwriter Kalben.
