'I was not aware the Transgender community expects ​fealty​ and ​total agreement': Dee Snider issues statement after running afoul of the militant LGBT movement

Rocker Dee Snider of Twisted Sister fame has issued a statement declaring his support for those who identify as transgender, while also expressing his view that children have not matured enough mentally to pursue gender transitions.

Snider recently earned the ire of San Francisco Pride after he expressed agreement with what the organization claimed was a "transphobic statement" put out by Paul Stanley of Kiss.

Stanley had appeared to argue that adults should not encourage kids to identify as the opposite sex. Snider agreed, tweeting, "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."

San Francisco Pride announced that plans to have Snider perform had been scrapped, writing, "[W]hen 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 organization declared, "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."

But Snider issued a statement in which he affirmed his support for the LGBT movement, but took issue with its demand for complete agreement.

"I was not aware the Transgender community expects fealty and total agreement with all their beliefs and any variation or deviation is considered 'transphobic,'" Snider wrote. "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?

"I've recently stated I do not believe young children are ready to decide their gender allocation. I believe their choices should be supported and accepted by their parents, but I do not think kids have the mental capabilities to make rational, logical decisions on things of a magnitude that will affect them for the rest of their lives. I do not believe they are mentally developed enough," he declared.

"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," Snider wrote.

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