Ne-Yo issues apology for 'insensitive and offensive' gender identity comments
Grammy award-winning singer Ne-Yo has apologised to fans for "insensitive and offensive" gender identity and parenting comments he made in an interview admitting he needs to "better educate" himself on the topics.
During an guest appearance on VladTV's The Gloria Velez podcast the R&B singer made harmful comments towards gender identity and parenting, and after feedback from audiences, issued a Twitter statement apologising for his words. The Closer singer wrote: "After much reflection, I'd like to express my deepest apologies to anyone that I may have hurt with my comments on parenting and gender identity," he added: "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."
Ne-Yo admits to his fans that he needs to better educate himself on gender identity to approach the topic with empathy in the future (WireImage)
Ne-Yo said that in the future he wants to be more empathetic to others and support everyone's self expression and "pursuit of happiness" (Getty Images)In the statement, the 47-year-old singer admitted that he needed to educate himself further on gender identity, recognising that it is a very nuanced topic he doesn't fully understand. Upon reflection, he said that he recognised that he needed to learn more in order to approach future conversations with empathy. The 'So Sick' singer continued that he wants to "lead with love" and is interested in supporting everyone's self-expression and "pursuit of happiness."
The statement came after Ne-Yo made the controversial remarks on a podcast. During the interview discussing gender identity, Ne-Yo said that he has "no problem with nobody" adding that people should love whoever they want and do whatever they want, but that he comes from a time period when "a man was a man and a woman was a woman."
Ne-Yo went on to say: "Now, you could identify as a goldfish if you feel. I don't care. That aint 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."
Neyo's ex says cheating singer 'needs help' as she apologises to his ex-wife
Ne-Yo originally shared harmful remarks regarding how parents should handle gender identity with their children (WireImage)Ne-Yo, who is a father of seven, had shared his standpoint on parenting and the role he believes parents should play in relation to a child's gender identity. Ne-Yo shared: "I feel like parents have almost forgotten what the role of a parent is. It's like, OK, 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 five. If you let this five-year-old boy decide to eat candy all day, he's going to do that. Like, when did it become a good idea to let a five-year-old, let a six-year-old, let a 12-year-old make a life-changing decision for their self? When did that happen? I don't understand that."
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
