What’s Current: San Francisco Pride drops Dee Snider for supporting Paul Stanley’s criticism of transing kids

On Sunday, Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley shared his concerns about the transitioning of kids, tweeting:

“With many children who have no real sense of sexuality and 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 trend.”

On Monday, Twisted Sister founding member, Dee Snider, came out in support of Stanley, 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.”

In response, San Francisco Pride, who had been set to announce Twisted Sister’s song “We’re Not Gonna Take It” as the official anthem of Pride 2023, dropped the heavy metal icon from their lineup.

Today, Stanley responded to accusations of “transphobia,” saying his words were “not clear” and that he “supports those struggling with their sexual identity while enduring hostility and those whose paths lead them to reassignment surgery”:

Meghan Murphy

Founder & Editor

Meghan Murphy is a freelance writer and journalist from Vancouver, BC. She has been podcasting and writing about feminism since 2010 and has published work in numerous national and international publications, including The Spectator, UnHerd, Quillette, the CBC, New Statesman, Vice, Al Jazeera, The Globe and Mail, and more. Meghan completed a Masters degree in the department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University in 2012 and is now exiled in Mexico with her very photogenic dog.