Ne-Yo is having a yo-yo week, riding the ups and downs of publicity over comments he made about gender-affirming treatments for trans kids.
It all started back on this eventful past Saturday, when an interview with the singer was posted and Ne-Yo talked extensively about the controversy, suggesting that 5-year-olds are making decisions about gender-affirming care on their own. "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?" he said.
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By Monday, an apology was issued on X, formerly Twitter, expressing regret and suggesting the issue is "nuanced."
I’d like to express my deepest apologies... pic.twitter.com/M5aTFN40tn
— NE-YO (@NeYoCompound) August 7, 2023
But the backlash turned Ne-Yo around, and only a day after that, he took back his apology, saying he would not be bullied into changing his opinion. The singer claimed the Monday apology came from a publicist's computer and, apparently, was not sincere.
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On Instagram, Ne-Yo posted in a Reel his thoughts and also wrote, "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. But this isn’t even a discussion until they are MENTALLY MATURE ENOUGH to have such a discussion."
Ne-Yo says he'll never be OK with gender-affirming treatment, but will love his kids anyway if one of them goes down that road. We await his subsequent apologies and take-backs of the apologies.