Why is it that the people who have access to cable TV news spots and massive platforms that make them completely uncancelable always complain that they’re being canceled? Case in point is Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, who’s once again out there saying the LGBTQ+ community that he’s considered himself an ally of for all these years has turned their back on him because he agreed with a dumb take about gender-affirming healthcare for children.
As far as we can see, the only cancellation that’s actually taken place is the cancellation of Snider’s performance of “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” as well as his marshalship, during this year’s San Francisco Pride celebration. And that was a private entity deciding they weren’t going to take his support of a misguided statement that KISS’ Paul Stanley originally made on Twitter.
While speaking with Fox News Digital about his new novel “Frats,” Snider was asked about his experience dealing with “cancel culture” following San Francisco Pride’s decision to drop him from the festivities. And as Snider is wont to do, he remains defiant about the whole thing.
“You don’t have to cave, you don’t have to apologize if you did nothing wrong. If you did something wrong, you know? If you did something wrong, you raped a woman, yeah, you gotta do more than apologize, but at the same time, that’s not something you stand strong about. But if you have a position and a belief and people come at you for it, everybody is folding.”
This whole thing kicked off when Paul Stanley tweeted back in April that parents were turning the issue of gender “into a game” and getting kids “caught up in the ‘fun’ of using pronouns.” He said a bunch of other misguided stuff that really sounds a lot like the anti-trans talking points politicians and pundits spout out these days, but what can you expect from a 71-year-old man in 2023?
Stanley got a lot of shit for his statement, which he eventually walked back, but Snider instead stood up for it. After his support of Stanley’s statement eventually got him removed from San Francisco Pride, he began blaming “the LGBTQIA+ community, and whatever letters we’re adding” for taking things too far in their response. Because that’s what you say when you’re a self-described ally. And again, while on Fox News Digital, Snider doubled down on what he said because he’s the guy that wrote “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”
“People are so quick to apologize when they’ve done nothing wrong. And Paul immediately apologized and he didn’t say anything wrong. You know, and he took back his words, and I won’t do it.”
“I wasn’t kidding when I wrote, ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’. I wasn’t kidding. I’m that guy and I will always be that guy.”
Now, we’re not saying that Snider isn’t an ally. The dude has dressed in drag for literal decades and even warned that he might bring it back to protest the wave of anti-drag legislation that’s been catching headlines in recent months. Still, maybe there comes a time when you take a moment to listen to the group you’ve offended and learn why they’re upset, rather than double and triple down on your initial take.
Snider has a right to say what he wants and we fully support the use of the First Amendment here at MetalSucks. And while we usually tend to agree with Snider on certain topics and continue to praise him for his excellent take down of the PMRC, we also support the other side’s ability to criticize you if they don’t like what you said.