American R&B singer and songwriter Ne-Yo, born Shaffer Chimere Smith, retracted his apology over controversial gender identity and parenting comments and ground his stance on his original remarks.
On August 4, Ne-Yo appeared in an interview with Gloria Velez for VladRV, wherein, they questioned parents who allow their children to have a say in their gender identity, saying “I feel like parents have almost forgotten what the role of a parent is.”
“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?” Ne-Yo said.
Supporting his opinion, he said, “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. He can’t drive a car yet, but he can decide his sex?”
His remarks received a lot of backlash, prompting him to release a statement on X (formerly Twitter) last August 7, expressing his “deepest apologies” “after much reflection.”
I’d like to express my deepest apologies… pic.twitter.com/M5aTFN40tn
— NE-YO (@NeYoCompound) August 7, 2023
In the statement, he wrote that he’s always been an advocate for love and inclusivity in the LGBTQI+ community and that he “understands how my comments could’ve been interpreted as insensitive and offensive,” he wrote.
He 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. At the end of the day, I lead with love and support everyone’s freedom of expression and pursuit of happiness.”
However, days after that statement, Ne-Yo released an Instagram post retracting his apology and owning his original stance.
“I was asked a question, and I answered the d*mn question. I have no beef with the LBGTQIA+ community whatsoever,” he said. “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 is detrimental to their life.”
View this post on Instagram
Ne-Yo also wrote in the caption, “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. Not gonna love em’ any less. Daddy is still Daddy and he loves you regardless,” he wrote.
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