Kiss rocker Paul Stanley spewed his thoughts on gender-affirming care for minors in a transphobic Twitter rant yesterday, attacking parents for what he called a "game" and "dangerous fad."
But people on social media immediately called him out.
Stanley shared his message on both Twitter and Instagram in a lengthy post he titled "My Thoughts On What I'm Seeing."
In his post, the singer and guitarist blasted parents for participating in the "sad and dangerous fad" and even compared the gender identity "game" to "playing dress up."
He began:
"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 a game and then parents in some cases allow it."
Stanley stated when adolescents reach adulthood, reassignment might be a necessary choice.
But he claimed parents are confusing childhood play time with gender identity.
"There ARE individuals who as adults may decide reassignment is their needed choice but turning this into a game or parents normalizing it as some sort of natural alternative or 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."
He finished:
"With many children who have no real sense of sexuality or sexual experiences caught up in the 'fun' of using pronouns and saying what they identify as, some adults mistakenly confuse teaching acceptance with normalizing and encouraging a situation that has been a struggle for those truly affected and have turned it into a sad and dangerous fad."
\u201chttps://t.co/5Gvz6v5HUi\u201d— Paul Stanley (@Paul Stanley) 1682872766
Needless to say, the backlash came swiftly.
Many slammed the rocker for referring to gender-affirming care a "game."
@KeithOlbermann/Twitter
\u201c@PaulStanleyLive This is really disappointing. You\u2019re assuming a significant portion of parents are engaged in \u201csome sort of game, \u201d as though the vast majority aren\u2019t making serious, loving, supportive decisions based on knowing their kids. I encourage you to look more deeply.\u201d— Paul Stanley (@Paul Stanley) 1682872766
Of course, several took the opportunity to point out the hypocrisy in Stanley's rant.
On his takes of both "dress up" and adolescence.
\u201c@PaulStanleyLive No one is leading a child down a path to gender reassignment surgery because they like to play dress up.\nDid anyone do that to you as an adult?\u201d— Paul Stanley (@Paul Stanley) 1682872766
\u201c@PaulStanleyLive I agree, children should only be dressing like this.\u201d— Paul Stanley (@Paul Stanley) 1682872766
\u201c@PaulStanleyLive Aren\u2019t you in a band of drag queens? I mean, a drag Queen band is cool and all, but you shouldn\u2019t be such a transphobe.\u201d— Paul Stanley (@Paul Stanley) 1682872766
\u201c@PaulStanleyLive You. The man who litterally wore make up and sang songs about banging high school girls?\n.. tell me why it\u2019s okay for you.. and your other knights in satans serivice \n\n(I\u2019m 40 and I know you pulled that)\n\nAnswer.. please without ms paint\u201d— Paul Stanley (@Paul Stanley) 1682872766
\u201c@PaulStanleyLive This your song, Stanley?\n\u201cI don't usually say things like this to girls your age\nBut when I saw you coming out of the school that day\nThat day I knew, I knew (Christine sixteen)\nI've got to have you, I've got to have you\u201d\u201d— Paul Stanley (@Paul Stanley) 1682872766
\u201c@Sturgeons_Law Paul is a man who dressed up like a woman on stage and tried to statutory rape girls and has a song called \u201cLadies Room\u201d about having sex with girls in the bathroom. He is literally THE person people picture when they are trying to work themselves up about trans people.\u201d— Sturgeon's Law (@Sturgeon's Law) 1682901153
\u201c@PaulStanleyLive This is a very disappointing take, especially from someone who wore high-heels, makeup, & teased up hair his whole career. As a young kid your band helped teach me that I could be whatever I wanted to be. I guess it was just gimmickry after all. #thatsashame\u201d— Paul Stanley (@Paul Stanley) 1682872766
Neither Stanley nor his team have responded to requests for comment.
But we hope he educates himself a bit more on gender-affirming healthcare before spreading any further misinformation and false claims.