Twisted Sister's Dee Snider insists he's an ally of the trans community after parting ways with SF Pride
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Days after voicing his support for Kiss' Paul Stanley after he spoke out against gender-affirming care, Dee Snider insists he's an ally of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The Twisted Sister frontman posted a lengthy statement on his Facebook page Friday in which he discussed being asked to serve as the Grand Marshal at the upcoming San Francisco Pride Parade, with which he has since parted ways, and why he thinks the transgender community needs "moderates" on its side too.
"I have ALWAYS stood with the community and its important causes," Snider wrote. "I was honored to accept the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade's invitation, and I even gave my blessing for 'We're Not Gonna Take It' to be used as this year's battle cry ['Queer Not Gonna Take It!']. Is that transphobic?"
Scott Dudelson/Getty Twisted Sister's Dee Snider
He continued, "I was not aware the transgender community expects fealty and total agreement with all their beliefs and any variation or deviation is considered 'transphobic.' So my lifetime of supporting the transgender community's right to identify as they want and honoring whatever changes they may make in how they present themselves to the world isn't enough? Why not?"
Snider sparked backlash earlier this week when he replied to Stanley's April 30 tweet, which many have deemed transphobic. In his post, Stanley voiced his opinion on the "sad and dangerous fad" of allowing children to access gender-affirming care, writing, "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."
Stanley explained that while he knows some "individuals who as adults may decide reassignment is their needed choice," children should not be among them. The rocker has since walked back his remarks online, writing, in part, "I support those struggling with their sexual identity while enduring constant hostility and those whose path leads them to reassignment surgery."
In response to Stanley's initial tweet, Snider replied, "You know what? There was a time where I 'felt pretty' too. Glad my parents didn't jump to any rash conclusions! Well said, @PaulStanleyLive."
You know what? There was a time where I "felt pretty" too. Glad my parents didn't jump to any rash conclusions! Well said, @PaulStanleyLive https://t.co/G80uNyzD7M
— Dee Snider🇺🇸🎤 (@deesnider) May 1, 2023
A day later, the San Francisco Pride Parade announced that Snider and the event had "mutually agreed to part ways," adding that its members appreciated "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."
In his May 5 post, Snider described himself as a "proud moderate" and argued that "the transgender community needs moderates who support their choices, even if we don't agree with every one of their edicts."
"For some transgender people (not all) to accuse supporters, like me, of transphobia is not a good look for their cause," he concluded. "Don't reject people who are willing to march, sing, and stand with you just because we don't perfectly see eye to eye. We are still your allies."
On the same day, San Francisco Gay Pride Parade board president Nguyen Pham confirmed that Snider was not "dropped" from this year's San Francisco Pride celebration like had been previously reported, but that the decision came "after a productive, educational conversation with him."
The event's executive director, Suzanne Ford, added, "We're glad that Dee wants to continue learning about the issues that affect the transgender community. As a trans woman, I can tell you that no two stories are alike — this isn't a black-and-white conversation, which is why educating the public is so critical."
The American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and other organizations have all issued statements advocating for access to gender-affirming care for children, with the American Academy of Pediatrics noting that "there is strong consensus among the most prominent medical organizations worldwide that evidence-based, gender-affirming care for transgender children and adolescents is medically necessary and appropriate. It can even be lifesaving."
Speaking with EW in April, Snider said he was "proud to say I am a gay icon" and revealed that his doll costume on The Masked Singer was inspired by drag.
"I'm not gay, but to that community, that is not the point," he said. "The point is, was that I was willing to look the way I looked in the '80s and be defiant and say, 'I'm gonna be who I am, whether you like it or not.' And believe me, you know, I got a lot of pushback on that."
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