5 reactions to Mario Lopez, kids choosing gender brouhaha
Mario Lopez, an actor and host of “Extra,” apologized this week after coming under fire from LGBT advocates over comments he made about children wanting to change their gender.
Lopez had expressed concern that parents are letting children as young as 3 identify as a different gender.
He was on “The Candace Owens Show” in June when he said: “I’m never one to tell anyone how to parent their kids, obviously, and I think if you come from a place of love, you really can’t go wrong. But at the same time, my God, if you’re 3 years old and you’re saying you’re feeling a certain way or you think you’re a boy or a girl or whatever the case may be, I just think it’s dangerous as a parent to make that determination then ‘OK, well then, you’re going to be a boy or a girl,’ whatever the case may be. It’s sort of alarming. My gosh, I just think about the repercussions later on.”
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“I think parents need to allow their kids to be kids but at the same time you got to be the adults in the situation. Pause with that. I think the formative years is when you start having those discussions and really start making these declarations.”
It wasn’t until few media outlets and social media picked it up this week that Lopez, who describes himself as a conservative and whose faith is important to him, came under fire.
The father of three later offered an apology and told People magazine that his comments were “ignorant and insensitive.”
“I now have a deeper understanding of how hurtful they were. I have been and always will be an ardent supporter of the LGBTQ community, and I am going to use this opportunity to better educate myself,” he said. “Moving forward I will be more informed and thoughtful.”
His apology comes after he expressed concern on “The Candace Owens Show” that Hollywood does not have room for diversity of thought.
“You suffer consequences in this business if you don’t fall in line,” he commented, noting that he chooses not to be outspoken on certain issues.
“I think when I talk about my faith or maybe the way I carry myself or live by example in my own way, I think that’s the best I can do without damaging any sort of future employment or business opportunities, unfortunately.”
Lopez’s apology prompted reactions from conservatives who felt the TV host was bullied. Here are five reactions to the Lopez controversy.
