Ne-Yo Issues Apology Following Controversy Remarks on Parents of Transgender Children

Ne-Yo is apologizing to the LBGTQI+ community after his comments on transgender children and the parents that raised them sparked much criticism online.

“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,” he wrote.  “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.”

It all started when the singer expressed how he felt about parenting transgender children during a recent interview with VladTV, “I have no issue with LBG — I have no problem with nobody.  You love who you love, you do what you do,” he said.  “I just personally come from an era where a man was a man, and a woman was a woman.”

He continued, “There was two genders, and that’s just how I 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 gonna 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.”

Ne-Yo elaborated further: “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?”

While agreeing with the singer, interviewer Gloria Velez added, “And he can cut off his pee-pee.”

According to Reuters, Velez, and Ne-Yo repeated a widely held misunderstanding regarding gender-affirming surgery for young individuals.

“The ultimate step in gender-affirming medical treatment is surgery, which is uncommon in patients under age 18.  Some children’s hospitals and gender clinics don’t offer surgery to minors, requiring that they be adults before deciding on procedures that are irreversible and carry a heightened risk of complications.”

I’d like to express my deepest apologies… pic.twitter.com/M5aTFN40tn

— NE-YO (@NeYoCompound) August 7, 2023