R&B singer and writer Ne-Yo faced backlash this past weekend over remarks he made during a VladTV interview with Gloria Velez. During the interview, the singer questioned parents who let their children change their gender at a young age. He also criticized laws targeted against parents who do not allow their children to undergo gender reassignment procedures before they're adults.
Following the backlash, Ne-Yo released a statement on Twitter apologizing for his remarks. However, the hitmaker took to Instagram to release a more unfiltered response "from the horse's mouth, not the publicist's computer."
In his Instagram Reel, Ne-Yo made it clear that while he apologizes to anyone who was offended by his statements, he does not apologize for his opinion. The singer pointed out that he has five boys and two girls before declaring that he's entitled to feel how he feels and has no issues with the LGBTQ+ community. He added that he would never be okay with children having to make a decision that could be "detrimental" to their life and encouraged parents to raise their children however they see fit.
Ne-Yo also included a caption with his video, which read:
This s*** is getting out of hand. FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH. I WILL NOT BE BULLIED INTO APOLOGIZING FOR HAVING AN OPINION. AGREEING TO DISAGREE IS NOT A DECLARATION OF WAR. Lord knows I ain’t perfect, I’ve made my mistakes indeed. And I’ve apologized to the people I’ve hurt for those mistakes. I couldn’t cast a stone if I wanted to, which I don’t. And I haven’t. 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. Period. Point blank. Whatever. Y’all do y’all, imma do me and we can agree to disagree and coexist PEACEFULLY. LOVE IS THE ONLY TRUE POWER.
Look above to view Ne-Yo's video response.
Source: instagram.com
