Ne-Yo has apologized for his comments regarding children who identify as transgender and how parents should approach the sensitive matter. He now wants to make it known that the apology is meant for those who took offense, but that he stands firm in his belief that children should not be allowed to make such a decision about themselves at young ages.
“Ok. This sh*t is getting out of hand. FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH. I WILL NOT BE BULLIED INTO APOLOGIZING FOR HAVING AN OPINION. AGREEING TO DISAGREE IS NOT A DECLARATION OF WAR,” wrote the “Closer” singer, captioning a black and white Instagram clip of himself reiterating his point.
“Lord knows I ain’t perfect, I’ve made my mistakes indeed,” he went on. “And I’ve apologized to the people I’ve hurt for those mistakes. I couldn’t cast a stone if I wanted to, which I don’t. And I haven’t. My intention is never to offend anybody…but my opinion is MINE and I’m entitled to it. I don’t care what y’all do with yours. That’s YOURS. This is how I FEEL.
“If one of my 7 kids were to decide that he or she wanted to be something other than what they were born as, once they’re old enough and mature enough to make that decision…so be it,” he explained. “Not gonna love em’ any less. Daddy is still Daddy and he loves you regardless. But this isn’t even a discussion until they are MENTALLY MATURE ENOUGH to have such a discussion.
Period. Point blank. Whatever. Y’all do y’all, imma do me and we can agree to disagree and coexist PEACEFULLY. LOVE IS THE ONLY TRUE POWER.”
The crooner’s original comments stem from a VladTV interview where he shared, “I just personally come from an era where a man was a man and a woman was a woman. There was two genders, and that’s just how I rocked.”
He later added, “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? He’s five… If you let this five-year-old boy decide to eat candy all day, he’s gonna do that. When did it become a good idea to let a five-year-old, let a six-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?”
An apology came soon after, with a promise from the songwriter to learn more about the LGBTQ+ community.
“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.”
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