Ne-Yo apologizes for “insensitive” gender identity remarks, says he plans to “better educate” himself

The R&B singer made a series of questionable statements in a recent VladTV podcast appearance.

August 07, 2023
Ne-Yo apologizes for “insensitive” gender identity remarks, says he plans to “better educate” himself Ne-Yo. Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET  

Ne-Yo has offered an apology for anti-trans comments he made in a podcast discussion with VladTV's Gloria Velez about gender identity. Shortly after a clip from the interview began going viral, the R&B singer tweeted an official statement to "express my deepest apologues to anyone that I may have hurt with my comments on parenting and gender identity."

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He continued that he "plan[s] to educate myself on the topic, so I can approach future conversations with more empathy."

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In a clip posted to YouTube yesterday (August 6), Ne-Yo said, "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 five! When did it become a good idea to let a five-year-old, six-year-old, twelve-year-old make a life-changing decision for theyself?"

Speaking more broadly on the subject, he added: "I just personally come from an era where a man was a man and a woman was a woman. And 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."

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Initially, Ne-Yo defended his comments: “I’m not asking anybody to agree with me nor am I telling you what you can and cannot do with your children," he wrote in an Instagram reply seen by The FADER. "I stated my opinion on a matter and that’s that. Why should I care if my opinion upsets you when you don’t care if yours upsets anyone?"

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Ne-Yo apologizes for “insensitive” gender identity remarks, says he plans to “better educate” himself