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Ne-Yo has apologized for offending the transgender community but not for having an opinion and sharing it.
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter’s latest Instagram post addressed his recent comments on parents with children experiencing gender dysphoria. The video upload, shared Aug. 7, is now the third time the singer’s publicly addressed his controversial remarks.
Ne-Yo’s apology thoroughly outlined that it wasn’t his intention to hurt anyone. He said he felt strongly entitled to his opinion and that he wanted the world to hear his view “from the horse’s mouth and not the publicist’s computer.”
The father of seven noted that if one of his five sons or two daughters were trans, he would continue to love them unconditionally. However, he emphasized in his caption that as a parent, he wouldn’t allow his children to make any decisions regarding their gender expression until “they’re old enough and mature enough.”
Ne-Yo said he wouldn’t be bullied for having an opinion. He also said that disagreeing with others’ perspectives wasn’t a “declaration of war” on his part.
In the video, the “So Sick” singer noted that “Maybe this is a world where they don’t need a Ne-Yo” anymore, regarding if he’ll be “canceled” for his comments.
“I have no beef with the LGBTQIA+ community whatsoever. I ain’t got no beef with y’all. Do whatever the hell it is you want to do. Do what you want to do with your kids. However, somebody asked my opinion on this matter, and this is how I feel. I will never be okay with allowing a child to make a decision that detrimental to their life. I will never be okay with that, I don’t care,” he stated.
“I definitely plan to educate myself on this matter a bit more. However, I doubt that there’s any book anywhere, or any opinion that somebody’s gonna tell me that’s gonna make me okay with letting a child make a decision like that. That’s just period, point blank.”
Ne-Yo previously addressed his controversial remarks Aug. 6 on Twitter and in the comments of an Instagram post by Hollywood Unlocked.
The Twitter apology claimed the singer’s “always been an advocate for love and the LGBTQI+ community.” Ne-Yo stated that “gender identity is nuanced” and something he wants to learn more about so he can be more empathetic in future conversations.
On Instagram, the singer wrote, “I CONDEMN NO ONE” at the start of a lengthy comment.
In a VladTV interview with Gloria Velez published Aug. 5, Ne-Yo said he didn’t understand when parents started allowing children to make “life-changing” decisions for themselves.
“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 it rocked. You could identify as a goldfish if you feel like, I don’t care. That ain’t my business. It becomes my business when you try to make me play the game with you. I’m not finna call you a goldfish. But if you wanna be a goldfish, you go be a goldfish. We live in a weird time, man. We do.”
“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 5… If you let this 5-year-old boy decide to eat candy all day, he’s gonna do that. 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?”
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