Last week, KISS singer/guitarist Paul Stanley took to Twitter to weigh in on kids who are struggling with gender identities. Several states are attempting to restrict trans Americans’ ability to seek gender-affirming medical procedures.
Stanley wrote under the title: “My Thoughts On What I’m Seeing”:
“There is a BIG difference between teaching acceptance and normalizing and even encouraging participation in a lifestyle that confuses young children into questioning their sexual identification as though some sort of game and then parents in some cases allow it.”
“There ARE individuals who as adults may decide reassignment is their needed choice but turning this into a game or parents normalizing it as some sort of natural alternative or believing that because a little boy likes to play dress up in his sister’s clothes or a girl in her brother’s, we should lead them steps further down a path that’s far from the innocence of what they are doing.”
“With many children who have no real sense of sexuality or sexual experiences caught up in the ‘fun’ of using pronouns and saying what they identify as, some adults mistakenly confuse teaching acceptance with normalizing and encouraging a situation that has been a struggle for those truly affected and have turned it into a sad and dangerous fad.”
Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider reacted in support of Stanley’s statement tweeting: “You know what? There was a time where I ‘felt pretty’ too. Glad my parents didn’t jump to any rash conclusions!”
He then continued: “Parents need to be less reactionary; Right and Left. No need to steer the child in either direction. Let the kid figure it out for themselves knowing their family is supportive. I had a vet/cop hardass dad who, while he shook his head A LOT…let me do my thing.”
Now, because of his comments, Snider’s planned performance at San Francisco Pride has been canceled. The organization said in a statement: “San Francisco Pride was on the cusp of announcing Twisted Sister’s ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ as the unofficial rallying cry of this year’s SF Pride Parade & Celebration, with the band’s frontman Dee Snider performing the song on our center stage.”
“Dee has always been a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights. However, when we were notified about the tweet in which Dee expressed support for KISS’s Paul Stanley’s transphobic statement, we were heartbroken and angry. The message perpetuated by that tweet casts doubt on young trans people’s ability to self-identify their gender.”
“Transgender people, particularly transgender women and children of color, are disproportionately affected by hate and violence. And with transphobia proliferating and becoming more and more enshrined in law throughout the country — we have to stand up for the most impacted among us.”
“We have mutually agreed to part ways, but appreciate Dee seeing this as a teachable moment and a reminder that even allies need to be educated to ensure that they are not casually promoting transphobia.”
Stanley went to Twitter again on Thursday in an attempt to clarify his original comments.
“While my thoughts were clear, my words clearly were not,” Stanley wrote.
“Most importantly and above all else, I support those struggling with their sexual identity while enduring constant hostility and those whose path leads them to reassignment surgery. It’s hard to fathom the kind of conviction that one must feel to take those steps. A paragraph or two will remain far too short to fully convey my thoughts or point of view so I will leave that for another time and place.”
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