Declaring that he will 'not be bullied into apologizing for having an opinion,' the 'So Sick' hitmaker publicly reminds others that 'agreeing to disagree is not a declaration of war.'
- Aug 8, 2023
AceShowbiz - Ne-Yo has reminded others of his right to voice his opinion. Despite having gone public with his apology for slamming parents of trans children, the "So Sick" hitmaker put into words more of his view on disagreeing with parents who let their kids make significant decisions at a young age.
On Monday, August 7, the 43-year-old singer uploaded a black-and-white video of himself via Instagram. In the caption of the clip, he wrote, "Ok. This s**t 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."
Ne-Yo further stated, "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 havent." He continued, "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."
The "Miss Independent" singer went on to add, "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 then pointed out. "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."
Ne-Yo has previously stated that parents of trans children have "almost forgotten" their role for letting their kids decide if they want to be a boy or girl at a young age. In an interview on VladTV published on August 5, he stated, "I feel like the parents have almost forgotten what the role of a parent is. If your little boy comes up to you and says, 'Daddy I wanna be a girl,' you just let him rock with that?"
Shortly after making the statement, the "She Knows" singer found himself in hot water. The backlash led him to publicly apologize. "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 penned via Twitter.
"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 added. "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."
