In the empowering new single, Nash reflects on how she felt “uneasy” after seeing anti-trans rhetoric become more normalised, and calls on people to speak out in defence of those affected by the ruling.
“I feel no threat from any trans person that might be in the toilets, I’ve never felt threatened by a trans person as it turns out,” Nash says in the song. “The 69,958 rapes that were reported between Oct 2023 and Sept 24 in the UK do slightly concern me though… 91 per cent of people prosecuted for sexual offences are cis men aged 18+.”
Speaking about the track, Nash said: “Using feminism to erase the rights of others is inherently un-feminist. ‘GERM’ is my response to the recent news that the Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex and that the concept of sex is binary. Trans people were excluded from the conversation.”
“I am left uneasy as I see behaviours we would otherwise or previously label as intolerance or bullying become normalised & even celebrated by the media & in society. I believe this will lead to more transphobia and more misogyny in the UK,” she continued. “I also believe it to be misdirected and not at all where feminist efforts should be focused. In fact, I don’t consider it to be feminist at all.
“The demonisation of entire groups of people, led by bad faith actors, is not a step forward but a huge echo of a past we should have moved on from. I owe so much of myself to feminism. Tarnishing the most important ideology in my life by denying the existence of trans women is something I take very personally.”
Concluding, she added: “Denying that trans people exist and having a personal desire to remove them from public spaces because it makes you uncomfortable to share spaces with trans people is transphobic. Dismantling systems of oppression lies at the very core of feminism. If you are transphobic therefore you are not a feminist. Welcome to your rebrand GERM.”
Kate Nash ‘GERM’ artwork. CREDIT: Press
Advertisement
The discussion around trans rights outlined in ‘GERM’ also comes amid debate around the accessibility to facilities at this year’s upcoming Download festival. Controversy arose yesterday when NOAHFINNCE highlighted how the Donnington festival was seemingly sticking to government guidance that would prevent trans women from using women’s facilities and trans men from using men’s facilities on-site.
“I think it will happen, and I think major labels are scared – and they should be,” she said. “It’s actually affecting the British economy. It’s not just about music and musicians, and that’s what politicians need to take note of.”
“It was reported that one in 10 songs streamed globally are by British artists, and only about one 30th of that money makes it back to the UK. You’re not just letting down musicians, you’re letting down the British economy,” she added.
“If we don’t have cutting-edge culture and music thriving in the UK, then what do we have to be proud of? That is something that so many people here pride themselves on, but what about musicians? You can’t just screw them over constantly and expect it not to have an impact. It is.”
Later this week, Nash is set to take to the stage at Mighty Hoopla, joined by The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Here, she will perform ‘GERM’ live for the first time. Buy tickets to upcoming shows here.
copied
NEWS
Red Hot Chili Peppers clarify they were not creatively involved in upcoming doc
Earlier on Friday, Jan. 30, news reports announced an upcoming Netflix documentary exploring the early years and success of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the impact of the band’s original guitarist Hillel Slovak, who died in 1988 of an accidental heroin overdose.
Directed by Ben Feldman, Variety reported that The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers includes input from members Anthony Kiedis and Flea and is set to premiere on March 20. “At its heart, this is a deeply relatable story — about the friendships that shape our identities and the lasting power of the bonds forged in adolescence,” Feldman said in a statement at the time. “What’s less relatable, of course, is that here those friends went on to create one of the greatest rock bands in history. I’m profoundly grateful to the band and to Hillel’s family for their trust and generosity, and to Netflix for helping bring this story to the world stage.”
However, following the announcement, the band later released their own statement distancing themselves from the project. “About a year ago, we were asked to be interviewed for a documentary about Hillel Slovak. He was a founding member of the group, a great guitarist, and friend. We agreed to be interviewed out of love and respect for Hillel and his memory,” wrote the band in a post shared on social media. “However, this documentary is now being advertised as a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary, which it is not,” they clarified. “We had nothing to do with it creatively. We have yet to make a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary. The central subject of this current Netflix special is Hillel Slovak and we hope it sparks interest in his work.”
The group originally encompassed Slovak, Kiedis, Flea, and drummer Jack Irons. It has since gone through several iterations following Slovak’s tragic death, with Irons leaving the group soon after.
