CEO 'takes a break' from Spitfire Audio after stating support for JK Rowling

The co-founder of Spitfire Audio, Christian Henson, is currently on "a break" as the company reflects on how to move forward from the supposed hurt he caused by tweeting in support of JK Rowling and "Father Ted" creator Graham Linehan.

Henson’s Twitter account no longer exists, but the tweet from September 5th read: "As a parent I can no longer keep my mouth shut about this. I am in full support of glinner & @jk_rowling. Please look into this. If you have young children it’s in the post if you have autistic children it’s probably already on your doormat."

His tweet refers to the epidemic of young people suffering from gender dysphoria and being referred to pediatric gender clinics all over the world. This is an issue that JK Rowling and Graham Linehan have spoken about at great length and both have endured relentless backlash for doing so.

In response Henson's tweet, the current CEO of Spitfire Audio, Will Evans, released a statement apologizing for the "hurt" caused by Henson’s tweet, stating that they have "worked hard to be a beacon for the industry and have a responsibility to do better" and that "Christian is going to take a break as we reflect on how to move forward."

"Christian’s tweet has caused hurt amongst our community. This hurt is understandably being extended as a reflection on Spitfire Audio, its collaborators and its employees. I’m deeply sorry for that; we’ve worked hard to be a beacon for the industry and have a responsibility to do better," the statement read.

"Christian’s views are his own, and as a company we’re committed to building an inclusive environment for our employees, collaborators and customers," the statement continued, with Evans adding, "Christian's going to take a break as we reflect on how to move forward, and in the meantime please accept my apologies on behalf of Spitfire Audio."

JK Rowling herself joined the ensuing Twitter storm, tweeting: "Will Evans, the CEO of @SpitfireAudio, apparently hasn’t read either the Maya Forstater judgement or the Allison Bailey judgement. Good luck with that."

The Maya Forstater judgement refers to the landmark tribunal ruling which enshrined gender-critical beliefs such as those expressed by Henson as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, meaning those who hold such beliefs are legally protected from discrimination and harassment in employment.

A couple of months later, the ruling in Allison Bailey’s discrimination case found that she too had been discriminated against on the basis of her gender-critical beliefs. Bailey is a barrister and co-founder of the group LGB Alliance who was victimized by her employer for tweeting gender-critical views.

Another recent report, the Cass interim report, deemed England’s Tavistock gender clinic "not a safe or viable long-term option" and led to the announced closure of the clinic.

Also contained within the report, which is the result of an independent review of England’s gender services for children, is evidence of the epidemic of gender dysphoria currently sweeping through the adolescent population of England and Wales. The Tavistock clinic went from approximately 50 referrals in 2009 to a capacity of 2,500 referrals in 2020, with 4,600 children and adolescents on the waiting list.

The investigation also found "approximately one third of children and young people referred to GIDS have autism or other types of neurodiversity."

Following the backlash, Spitfire Audio tweeted: "We feel it is important to reiterate that we stand resolutely and absolutely behind advocating for inclusivity and diversity in music – this extends to the LGBTQ+ community, and in the world in general."