Ne-Yo has issued an apology for comments he made on gender identity and how parents should raise transgender children, saying: “I plan to better educate myself on the topic.”
The Miss Independent singer questioned parents who allow their children to consider their gender identity in an interview shared to YouTube on Saturday.
The 43-year-old, who is a father to seven children, further clarified his thoughts on the topic in a tweet posted on Monday.
I’d like to express my deepest apologies… pic.twitter.com/M5aTFN40tn
— NE-YO (@NeYoCompound) August 7, 2023
He 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.
“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.
“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.
“At the end of the day, I lead with love and support everyone’s freedom of expression and pursuit of happiness.”
In the interview posted on the Vlad TV account, the US singer said he had “no issue with nobody”, adding: “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.
“I’m not gonna call you a goldfish. But if you wanna be a goldfish, you go be a goldfish. We live in a weird time, man. We do.”
During their conversation, the So Sick singer added: “I feel like 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.”
He continued: “If you let this five-year-old boy decide to eat candy all day, he’s going to do that.
“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 themself? When did that happen? I don’t understand.”
The Grammy-winning singer, whose real name is Shaffer Chimere Smith, has seven children to a number of previous partners.