(Corine Gatti, Headline USA) Hip-hop star Shaffer “Ne-Yo” Smith succumbed to woke critics and offered his “deepest apologies” after questioning parents for allowing children to choose their gender.
“I just personally come from an era where a man was a man and a woman was a woman,” Ne-Yo said during a Friday appearance on VladTV with Gloria Velez. “You could identify as a goldfish if you feel like, I don’t care—that ain’t my business,” he said, sparking outrage from the transgender community.
Ne-Yo blasts parents who let their children believe that they can pick whatever gender they want to be: “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… pic.twitter.com/JRdn7VGZDI
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 6, 2023
The Daily Caller reported Ne-Yo initially defended his opinion on Twitter in a post now deleted: “Why should I care if my opinion upsets you when you don’t care if yours upsets anyone? Opinions aren’t special. We all have one,” he said.
On Sunday, however, the rapper issued an apology to the transgender community, stating he’s an advocate for love and inclusivity in the LGBT community.
“I understand how my comments could’ve been interpreted as insensitive and offensive,” he wrote. “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.”
I’d like to express my deepest apologies… pic.twitter.com/M5aTFN40tn
— NE-YO (@NeYoCompound) August 7, 2023
And yet, it won’t be enough to appease the woke mob, conservative social-media followers assured the singer.
Twitter user @TheLibsOfReddit posted that it’s a never-ending cycle. “Make a valid point Get attacked by the woke mob Apologize and promise to better educate yourself continue to get attacked by the woke mob anyway.”
It’s a never ending cycle
Make a valid point ➡️ Get attacked by the woke mob ➡️ Apologize and promise to better educate yourself ➡️ Continue to get attacked by the woke mob anyway
— The Libs Of Reddit (@TheLibsOfReddit) August 7, 2023
“It would have been better if you said nothing at all then. These public apologies are always worded the same,” wrote @2Genders1Truth. “These activists still won’t like you. Their only concern is making people bend the knee. It’s a grave crime to disagree.”
It would have been better if you said nothing at all then. These public apologies are always worded the same. “After reflection” and “I have to educate myself.” These activists still won’t like you. Their only concern is making people bend the knee. It’s a grave crime to disagree
— Two Genders One Truth (@2genders1truth) August 7, 2023
R&B singer Macy Gray was in the same position last year when she was slammed for opposing transgenderism after stating that changing one’s body parts doesn’t make one a woman. However, after receiving backlash, she backtracked and claimed that being a woman was more of a “vibe.”
Ne-Yo seems to be one of a growing number of male African-American performers in particular o question the leftist dogma, which has long enjoyed a stranglehold on the black vote through its coercion of community leaders like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.
Among the most prominent defectors is Kanye West, who has been vocal about his anti-establishment political views, even meeting on several occasions with former President Donald Trump both during and after his term in office.
Rapper Ice Cube also recently spoke out against the woke mindset during an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, noting that his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine had put him at odds with the Hollywood community.
Ep. 10 Stay in your lane: our drive through South Central LA with Ice Cube.
(next episode: Ice Cube sits down with us at his studio) pic.twitter.com/cUgCh2xccH
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) July 25, 2023
Some, such as rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, have buckled under the pressure from cancel culture.
Jackson was shamed by a leftist comedian for endorsing Trump and later insisted it had been a joke. Nonetheless, he recently spoke out lamenting the fact that Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies had left Los Angeles in shambles.
Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report.
