Dee Snider released a Facebook post on Friday to defend himself, as the longtime trans supporter he is. The statement came days after San Francisco Pride had dropped Snider from its upcoming lineup. Snider responded, “So, I hear I’m transphobic, Really?”
Snider fell under fire earlier this week after he quote-tweeted KISS singer Paul Stanley’s statement regarding his own thoughts on the trans community and gender-affirming care for children. “You know what? There was a time where ‘I felt pretty’ too. Glad my parents didn’t jump to any rash conclusions,” he wrote.
Snider’s comment reached the San Francisco Pride organization, which It would part ways with the performer in its next event. The organization said “We’re Not Gonna Take It” was set to be the unofficial rallying cry of the celebration before Snider tweeted his support of Stanley. But no longer.
“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 organization wrote. “The message perpetuated by that tweet casts doubt on young trans people’s ability to self-identify their gender.”
SF Pride acknowledged that Snider “has always been a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights,” and that the decision to part ways was mutual.
“[We] 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,” SF Pride said.
Snider’s departure was a surprise. “So, I hear I’m transphobic, Really?” the musician, 68, titled the The following is a statement by the spokesperson Posting Friday to Facebook. He wrote that while he has spent his life defending the rights of the trans community, he doubled down that he does not “believe young children are ready to decide their gender allocation.”
“I do not think kids have the mental capabilities to make rational, logical decisions on things of a magnitude that will affect them for the rest of their lives,” he wrote. “I do not believe they are mentally developed enough.”
Snider, who has identified as politically moderate, or “Purple,” said in his statement that he will continue to support the trans community, and signed off as “your cisgender, cross-dressing ally.”
Read Snider’s entire statement by clicking here.
