Oli London praises Ne-Yo for gender comments: 'It's very hard to win in this situation'
Detransitioner Oli London praised Ne-Yo for doubling down on his criticism over transgender treatments for children, saying it took 'guts' to do so.
Pop and R&B singer Ne-Yo could have been "canceled" for his remarks scolding parents who let their children transition genders, Oli London says.
"It really does take guts for any Hollywood celebrity to speak out against gender ideology because we see them get canceled. I mean, look at J.K. Rowling – the Harry Potter author– for instance. She has received abuse for a number of years. So you can see why people don't speak out," he told Fox News Digital.
Ne-Yo, the Grammy-winning singer and songwriter, whose real name is Shaffer Chimere Smith, went viral last week after he rebuked parents who allow their kids to make "life-changing decisions" through gender transitions.
After an apology was posted to his social media account amid backlash from LGBTQ activists, the singer walked it back a few hours later, blaming his "publicist" and insisting he would "not apologize" for his opinion.
Detransitioner, activist and author Oli London praised singer Ne-Yo for speaking out on transgender treatments for children. (Ne-Yo image courtesy of Getty.) (Getty Images/FoxNewsDigital)
London, a social media influencer who detransitioned after living as a woman for six months, is now a vocal critic of the trans movement and was one of many voices commending the singer for taking a stance on the controversial issue.
"I was like, wow, this is a really big deal," he said, pointing to the musician's millions of followers on social media. "I think this will help influence a lot of his fans to have some common sense."
But London said he wasn't exactly surprised when the apology came out, because the backlash from trans activists can be "very intense" when someone speaks out on these issues. He was disappointed, however.
"But I also thought, you know, it's not good to do that. If you have a stance, stick with it, because otherwise people just look at you as weak," he remarked.
NE-YO WINS PRAISE AFTER RETRACTING PUBLICIST'S APOLOGY FOR GENDER COMMENTS: ‘SPEAKING COMMON SENSE’
R&B star Ne-Yo walked back his criticism of the left's push to allow young children to transition genders. ((Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images))
While London was pleased that the singer "stuck to his guns" defending his beliefs in the hours afterward, he wished he had come out with a stronger statement.
"I feel he was trying to appease everyone. He didn't want to upset the trans activists. He also upset parents. I think he was trying to have a middle ground to avoid, in his mind, a PR disaster because you're going to be a damned if you do, damned if you don't. It's very hard to win in this situation and to please everybody. But I think it was good that he clarified," London stated.
In those most recent comments, Ne-Yo stated that he plans to "educate" himself on the issues but insisted that he has "no beef with the [LGBTQIA+] community."
London offered to give the singer a signed copy of his new book, "Gender Madness: One Man's Devastating Struggle with Woke Ideology and His Battle to Protect Children," if he truly wants to learn more about the trans movement.
Courtesy of Oli London (Courtesy of Oli London)
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In the book, London details his journey out of the trans lifestyle to finding inner happiness. He also describes how the movement has become a profitable industry in the United States, but European countries are backing away from these treatments, as recent research debunks the narrative that they are "perfectly safe" for children.
London said Ne-Yo's remarks were important and could lose him brand and record deals, but they actually shouldn't have been viewed as "controversial."
"[A]the end of the day, Ne-Yo did not say anything controversial," London said. "He literally said he was against doing this to kids; [but] as an adult, do whatever you want. That's absolutely fine. And I think the majority of people hold the same view."
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