Actor-turned-TV-personality Mario Lopez has been dragged all up and down Twitter thanks to controversial remarks he made about children and gender identity.
Taking to ‘The Candace Owens Show,’ the former ‘Saved by the Bell’ star set off alarms for members of the LGBTQ community (and its supporters) when he stated:
“…I’m never one to tell anyone how to parent their kids… and I think if you come from a place of love, you really can’t go wrong. But at the same time, if you’re three 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.
You don’t know anything about sexuality yet… You’re just a kid.”
After critics called out his insensitivity to conflating gender identity with sexuality, the ‘Extra’ star took to press to offer an apology. See it inside:
Here’s the clip that has every up in arms:
In response to the controversy, Lopez issued the following statement:
“The comments I made were ignorant and insensitive, and 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. Moving forward I will be more informed and thoughtful.”
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Members of the LGBTQ community aren’t the only ones pissed off from Lopez’s interview. During his sit down with Owens, he also took aim at the #MeToo movement when he suggested social media campaigns such as #MeToo and #BelieveWomen are dangerous as well. Why? According to him, “because people lie — and sometimes those people are women.”