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San Francisco Pride drops Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider after 80s rocker posted this tweet

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Dee Snider of Twisted Sister
Dee Snider (Photo: Shutterstock)

The organizers of San Francisco Pride say they won’t now be adopting an old Twisted Sister hit as their anthem and have dropped the rock band’s singer, Dee Snider, from their line-up.

An announcement on Facebook explained the decision.

“San Francisco Pride was on the cusp of announcing Twisted Sister’s ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ as the unofficial rallying cry of this year’s SF Pride Parade & Celebration, with the band’s frontman Dee Snider performing the song on our center stage. Dee has always been a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights.

“However, 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 message perpetuated by that tweet casts doubt on young trans people’s ability to self-identify their gender.”

The statement concluded, “We have mutually agreed to part ways, but 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. To all our allies – we want to call you in – not call you out.”

On Sunday, Kiss member Paul Stanley, 71, posted a tweet questioning the age at which children are supported to transition.

Stanley wrote, “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.”

He said that while “there ARE individuals who as adults may decide reassignment is their needed choice,” he criticized “turning this into a game or parents normalizing it as some sort of natural alternative.”

He cautioned against “[…] Believing that because a little boy likes to play dress up in his sister’s clothes or a girl in her brother’s, we should lead them steps further down a path that’s far from the innocence of what they are doing.”

“Rash conclusions”

Snider retweeted Stanley’s tweet, saying, “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”

The irony was not lost on many that both Kiss and Twisted Sister rose to fame as pretty gender non-conforming acts.

Offspring guitarist Kevin Wasserman was among those to criticize both Stanley and Snider.

Many others took objection to Stanley’s viewpoint and his suggestion that gender-questioning youth are playing a game.

Paul Stanley responds to criticism

Yesterday, Stanley acknowledged the reaction to his initial tweet and suggested he failed to choose the best words.

“While my thoughts were clear, my words clearly were not. Most importantly, and above all else, I support those struggling with their sexual identity while enduring constant hostility and those whose path leads them to reassignment surgery. It’s hard to fathom the kind of conviction that one must feel to take those steps.

“A paragraph or two will remain far too short to fully convey my thoughts or point of view so I will leave that for another time or place.”

Snider also sought to clarify his comments. He suggested he just wants kids supported to “figure it out for themselves.”

Related:

Dylan Mulvaney returns to TikTok for first time since Bud Light backlash

And she had a heartfelt message to share.

Lil Nas X apologizes after joking about transitioning

…although the rapper was unimpressed when one person suggested he donate money to trans causes to make amends.

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