In light of recent events, Róisín Murphy’s record label has reportedly decided to cease promotion of the singer’s upcoming album and donate proceeds from the project to trans charities. This comes after the Irish musician posted a comment criticising puberty blockers on her personal Facebook account, which sparked backlash from the LGBTQ+ community and allies alike.

While at the time of writing, UK-based label Ninja Tune has not responded to GCN’s request for comment, an inside source said to be familiar with the matter broke the news to other outlets just over a week ahead of the release of Róisín Murphy’s new album Hit Parade on September 8.

The performer is suffering the consequences of remarks she made online, which read: “please don’t call me a terf, please don’t keep using that word against women…Puberty blockers are fucked, absolutely desolate, big pharma laughing all the way to the bank. Little mixed-up kids are vulnerable and need to be protected, that’s just true.”

With screenshots of the post immediately going viral, Murphy published a statement on August 29, saying, “I am so sorry my comments have been directly hurtful to many of you. You must have felt a huge shock, blindsided by this so abruptly. I understand fixed views are not helpful but I really hope people can understand my concern was out of love for all of us.”

She added: “I’ve spent my whole life celebrating diversity and different views, but I never patronise or cynically aim my music directly at the pockets of any demographic. The music I make is the core of everything I do and it’s ever-evolving, freewheeling and unpredictable.

“For those of you who are leaving me, or have already left, I understand, I really do, but please know I have loved every one of you. I have always been so proud of my audience and understood the privilege of performing for you, all through the years.”

She concluded the statement by saying she “will now completely bow out of this conversation within the public domain”.

Having garnered a loyal queer fanbase throughout her career, the incident has caused shock and upset for many of her listeners. The subsequent apology has also been criticised, with one person expressing they were “very disappointed” at the “poor apology”, and another saying, “this is so sad roisin, you should know better as an artist”.

A different X user described the response as “an absolute slap in the face”.

As a long time fan, it’s beyond deeply disappointing that the essence of this response is basically “no I refuse to educate myself or seek information from experts. I refuse to engage and learn about a community that includes a lot of my fans.” It’s an absolute slap in the face.

— careysagirlsname (@carebearscare91) August 29, 2023

Puberty blockers are a form of gender-affirming care and are often considered to be a life-saving treatment for trans youth. Studies have shown that those who have access to puberty blockers at a younger age are less likely to consider suicide and will have better mental health when moving into adulthood.

The treatment is entirely reversible, and if someone changes their mind, they can stop taking hormone blockers and puberty will recommence from that point.