Singer Ne-Yo is retracting his “publicist’s” apology after he received backlash for calling out parents who allow their children to change genders.
On Monday, Ne-Yo took to his Instagram page to address the controversy “from the horse’s mouth” and “not the publicist’s computer.”
“First and foremost, I do not apologize for having an opinion on this matter. I am a 43-year-old heterosexual man raising five boys and two girls, okay? That’s my reality,” he said in a video.
However, the “So Sick” singer did apologize if his “opinion offended somebody” because it wasn’t his “intention.”
“I will never be okay with allowing a child to make a decision that detrimental to they life. I will never be okay with that,” he later clarified, after stating he had “no beef with the [LGBTQIA+] community whatsoever.”
Furthermore, Ne-Yo expressed he wasn’t concerned about being “canceled” over his opinion.
“If I get canceled for this, then you know what, maybe this is a world where they don’t need a Ne-Yo no more,” he said. “And I got no problem with that. I’m a hustler, I’ll figure it out.”
He concluded his video by stating he loves everybody and doesn’t care about how someone chooses to live or who they “want to love.”
“But your opinion is yours. Speak your opinion as much as you d**n well feel like it because as I said, they’re not special,” he said.
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On the evening of August 6, a public apology was posted on the Grammy award-winning artist’s X, formerly known as Twitter, account.
“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,” the statement read.
The statement then called gender identity “nuanced” and promised he would “better educate” himself on the topic to “approach future conversations with more empathy.”
I’d like to express my deepest apologies… pic.twitter.com/M5aTFN40tn
— NE-YO (@NeYoCompound) August 7, 2023
This came after Ne-Yo did an interview with Gloria Velez for VladTV last week where he expressed his disapproval of parents who support their children’s gender desire to transition.
“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 inquired.
He continued, “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 theyself? When did that happen?”
