Spitfire Audio co-founder temporarily let go following “transphobic” tweet

Christian Henson, co-founder of UK music tech company Spitfire Audio, has been temporarily let go from the company following a public take on transgender issues earlier this week.

In a tweet, the Spitfire head publicly showed his support for British author J.K. Rowling and comedy writer Graham Linehan on Monday, both of whom have been accused of transphobia in recent years.

Henson’s siding with the two UK figures in the now-deleted tweet was perceived as transphobic, and was quick to receive backlash online.

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“As a parent, I can no longer keep my mouth shut about this. I’m in full support of glinner & J.K. Rowling,” he said on Twitter earlier this week. “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,” he added.

Underneath the tweet, Henson attached a YouTube video titled ‘Stewart Lee should hand in his comedy card’ where Linham publicly berates ‘Snowflake’, a new show from Lee discussing topics such as identity politics and free speech.

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Since posting the tweet, Spitfire Audio responded to the backlash with an apology from the company’s CEO, Will Evans.

“Christian's tweet has caused hurt among 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,” he said.

The co-founder has now been asked to “take a break” as the company decide how to move forward, Evans added, emphasising that “Christian’s views are his own”.

“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,” said Spitfire’s CEO.

Mixmag has reached out to Spitfire Audio for further comment.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Editorial Assistant, follow her on Twitter