Singer Ne-Yo doubled down on his ignorance by retracting a public apology he claimed his publicist made without his approval after he called out gender-affirming care for trans youth in a recent interview.
During the interview with Gloria Velez for Vlad TV, Ne-Yo expressed his opposition to gender-affirming care for trans youth and criticized parents who supported their children's gender identity. Like many who yell the loudest about healthcare for trans people, Ne-Yo has no training or qualifications in psychology or medicine.
The singer said:
"I just personally come from an era where a man was a man and a woman was a woman. And there was two genders, and that's just how I rocked."
Ne-Yo then condemned supportive parents:
"I feel like parents have almost forgotten what the role of a parent is."
"If your little boy comes to you and says, 'Daddy, I want to be a girl,' and you just let him rock with that?"
You can see his unqualified opinions here:
Ne-Yo later added:
"When did it become a good idea to let a 5-year-old, let a 6-year-old, let a 12-year old make a life-changing decision for themself? When did that happen? I don't understand."
"He can't drive a car yet, but he can decide his sex?"
After facing severe backlash, the singer appeared to post an apology on social media.
His official account tweeted:
"After much reflection, I'd like to express my deepest apologies to anyone that I may have hurt with my comments on parenting and gender identity."
"I've always been an advocate for love and inclusivity in the LGBTQI+ community, so I understand how my comments could've been interpreted as insensitive and offensive."
Ne-Yo continued:
"Gender identity is nuanced and I can honestly admit that I plan to better educate myself on the topic, so I can approach future conversations with more empathy."
He concluded:
"At the end of the day, I lead with love and support everyone's freedom of expression and pursuit of happiness."
But the singer quickly took to Instagram to restate his ignorant, transphobic opinions on trans people's right to exist.
Many saw through Ne-Yo's apology even before he retracted it.
Maybe now Ne-Yo might choose to educate himself.
But it seems unlikely.
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