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

It’s time to ditch entrenched and polarised positions for extended and nuanced debate about trans issues, says Laura Barton

Róisín Murphy came under fire for her comment about puberty blockers (AP)

To begin, a few important points: one, I believe inexorably in the rights of trans people; two, I really like Róisín Murphy; three, not everyone will agree with me on matters one and two; four, I was personally disappointed to learn that Róisín 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.