I believe in trans rights. I like Roisin Murphy. Let’s talk…

T o begin, a few important points: one, I believe inexorably in the rights of trans people; two, I really like Roisín Murphy; three, not everyone will agree with me on matters one and two; four, I was personally disappointed to learn that Roisín Murphy has a Facebook account. You will likely have read that, a few weeks ago, Murphy, the much-admired Irish singer and record producer, met with opprobrium after a screenshot emerged of comments she had made on Facebook: ‘Puberty blockers are f***ed, absolutely desolate,’ she wrote. ‘Big pharma laughing all the way to the bank. Little mixed-up kids are vulnerable and need to be protected, that’s just true.’ Murphy’s fanbase, a large swathe of which is made up of the LGBT+ community, reeled somewhat. Her record label, Ninja Tune, stepped back from promoting her new record. This week, BBC 6 Music quietly shelved the scheduled broadcast of Murphy’s Artist Collection – five hours of the singer’s music, interviews and concert recordings. The broadcaster has denied the decision was connected to the puberty blocker furore, but the timing was striking.