Dee Snider, the frontman of Twisted Sister, has affirmed his support for the LGBTQ+ community following his removal from this year’s San Francisco Pride event due to his endorsement of Paul Stanley’s controversial tweet regarding gender identity among children.
Snider took to social media to express his disagreement with being labelled as transphobic, saying, “I was not aware the Transgender community expects fealty and total agreement with all their beliefs and any variation or deviation is considered ‘transphobic.'”
He added that he felt it was essential to have moderates who support transgender individuals without necessarily agreeing with every aspect of their cause.
The controversy started after Snider supported comments by Stanley, who, without provocation, referred to children’s expression of gender identity as a “sad and dangerous fad.” He also seemed to confuse gender with sexual orientation, which medical experts say develop separately.
Stanley’s statement gained traction across social media, leading him to walk back later in his comments and express support for those struggling with their sexual identity. As a result, SF Pride cancelled Snider’s planned performance at their event in June.
SF Pride expressed disappointment and anger over Snider’s support for Stanley’s comments, stating that the message perpetuated by the tweet undermines young trans people’s ability to self-identify their gender.
The organisation also emphasised the disproportionate impact of hate and violence on transgender individuals, particularly women and children of colour, and the need to stand up for the most affected members of the community.
San Francisco Pride president Nguyen Pham has since come out and clarified that Snider was not dropped from the event, but rather, it was a mutual decision reached after a constructive, educational conversation.
