Singer Ne-Yo, who recently sparked controversy with his comments on LGBTQ+ matters, has issued an apology for his statements. Taking to his Twitter account, he wrote, “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 that he plans to educate himself more on the topic to approach future discussions with empathy.
Ne-Yo emphasized, “At the end of the day, I lead with love and support everyone’s freedom of expression and pursuit of happiness.”
The controversy arose when Ne-Yo, during an interview with Gloria Velez for VladTV, was asked about gender identity. He shared, “I just personally come from an era where a man was a man and a woman was a woman. There were two genders, and that’s just how I rocked.”
Ne-Yo continued, “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.”
He also expressed concerns about parents allowing young children to make significant decisions about their gender identity and compared it to a child asking for too much candy.
“When did it become a good idea to let a 5-year-old, let a 6-year-old, let a 12-year-old make a life-changing decision for themselves?” Ne-Yo questioned. “When did that happen? I don’t understand.”
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