Dee Snider, lead singer and songwriter of the metal band Twisted Sister, released a statement on Facebook Friday defending himself as a longtime supporter of the trans community days after the San Francisco Pride organization dropped him from their upcoming celebration 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.
Reaction to Snider’s comment reached the San Francisco Pride organization, which announced it would be parting ways with performer for an upcoming 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.
But the parting did surprise Snider. “So, I hear I’m transphobic, Really?” the musician, 68, titled the statement posted Friday on 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.”
You can read Snider’s entire statement by clicking here.
