Ne-Yo retracts apology, says he will ‘never be okay’ with children deciding their genders

Ne-Yo has retracted an apology that was issued on his behalf regarding his comments in an interview about gender identity and the upbringing of transgender children.

On Sunday, a statement was posted on the musician's social media accounts, clarifying his views on the subject and emphasizing his continued support for the LGBTQI+ community. He also committed to educating himself further on the issue.

However, on Monday night, Ne-Yo (whose full name is Shaffer Chimere Smith) released a new video, asserting that his fans needed to hear his thoughts directly "from the horse's mouth" rather than through a publicist's computer.

While the statement released on Sunday included the 43-year-old's "deepest apologies," he now states in the video that he "did not apologize for having an opinion on this matter."

"All right, listen, I normally don't give too much of a damn about what y'all think about what I do, what y'all have to say about what I say, whatever," he began in the video. "I normally don't care because like I said, opinions ain't special."

"Everybody got one. However, this is something I feel very strongly on. And I need y'all to hear this from the horse's mouth, not the publicist's computer."

"So, check this out. First and foremost, I did not apologize for having an opinion on this matter," he said.

"I'm a 43 year old heterosexual man raising five boys and two girls, okay? That's my reality. Now, if my opinion offended somebody, yeah, sure. I apologize for you being offended because that wasn't my intention."

"My intention is never to offend anybody. However, I'm entitled to feel how I feel. I'm absolutely entitled to feel how I feel the same way you are entitled to feel how you feel."

"I ain't asked nobody to follow me, I ain't asked nobody to agree with me," he continued. "I was asked a question and I answered the damn question, okay? I have no beef with the LBGTQIA+ community whatsoever."

"I got no beef with y'all, do whatever the hell it is you want to do. Do what you want to do with your kids. However, somebody asked my opinion on this matter, and this is how I feel, I will never be okay with allowing a child to make a decision that detrimental to their life. I will never be okay with that."

The She Knows singer added that "there's any book anywhere or any opinion that somebody is gonna tell me that's gonna make me okay with letting a child make a decision like that."

"And that's how I feel. If I get canceled for this, then you know what, maybe this is a world where they don't need a Ne-Yo no more."

"And I ain't got no problem with that. I'm a hustler, all right, and I'll figure it out. I got kids to raise and I'm gonna do that regardless."

"I love everybody. Live how you want to live. Love how you want to love, but your opinion is yours. Speak your opinion as much as you feel like it, because as I said, they're not special."

Text with the video read, "Ok. This s**t is getting out of hand. FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH. I WILL NOT BE BULLIED INTO APOLOGIZING FOR HAVING AN OPINION. AGREEING TO DISAGREE IS NOT A DECLARATION OF WAR."

"Lord knows I ain’t perfect, I’ve made my mistakes indeed," he continued in the caption.

"And I’ve apologized to the people I’ve hurt for those mistakes. I couldn’t cast a stone if I wanted to, which I don’t. And I haven’t."

"My intention is never to offend anybody…but my opinion is MINE and I’m entitled to it. I don’t care what y’all do with yours. That’s YOURS. This is how I FEEL."

Ne-Yo had stated his opinion on the matter during an interview with VladTV, where he was asked what he thought on the matter. "I feel like parents have almost forgotten what the role of a parent is," the singer said. "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 … if you let this five-year-old boy decide to eat candy all day, he's gonna do that."