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Reposted by Jon Rolph

Robin Ince @robinince.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.

This is the saddest day of my professional life.
Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage.
I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys.
I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show,
A show that I named and helped develop over all those years.
Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry.
These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenter

In a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices.
Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'.
•
I chose the latter.
It broke my heart.
I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make.
I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer.
I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence.
One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career.

I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more.
I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost".
James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice.
Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences.
I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness.
Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire.
I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal.
I am so sorry to let you down.
I hope that you can understand my reasoning.
I have to accept that I am not what the current
BBC expects of their freelance presenters.

Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not
"just a job"
I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world.
From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too.
The strawberry is dead.
Long live the strawberry. B

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Jon Rolph @jonrolph.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

North Bridge Media has sponsored a Fringe Award w/Neurodiverse Review and the shortlist is out! It's for comedy writing in any Fringe category by d/Deaf, disabled or neurodivergent writers. Here's the fantastic shortlist - all great shows: (1/2)

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Jon Rolph @jonrolph.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

Please watch and share this Channel 4 News report from tonight, about the sudden and brutal Access to Work cuts that are robbing disabled people of their independence, livelihoods and security. This is not even the cuts being voted on, this is already happening. www.channel4.com/news/access-...

channel4.com

Access to Work: cuts to support putting employment out of reach

Today, a public consultation closes on one of the existing programmes of funding reasonable adjustments in the workplace.

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Jon Rolph @jonrolph.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

When we made Biscuitland for C4, Jess told me how important it was to show her character at work, with the support she needed. It was also about what it's like to have your whole life in the gift of these fucking bureaucrats. Jess, and thousands of others, need this support, and our support too.

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Reposted by Jon Rolph

The Daily Tism @thedailytism.com · 17/04/2025

“Fuck your single-sex spaces and fuck your Supreme Court. If I see you calling the police on a trans person in a public restroom I will personally flush your phone down the bog whilst pretending it’s Wes Streeting’s head.”

thedailytism.com

Normally rule-following autistic says fuck transphobic laws

A cisgender autistic woman who is generally so law abiding she once performed a citizen’s arrest on herself for jaywalking will not acknowledge any evil transphobic legislation, it has been confirmed....

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