Mario Lopez gets slammed for saying it's 'weird and dangerous' for Charlize Theron and other parents to support transgender children
Actor and entertainment journalist Mario Lopez is facing a lot of backlash for his recent comments on transgender children. He had claimed that parents should not allow their children to transition genders, while appearing on 'The Candace Owens Show' in June.
The 45-year-old spoke with the talk show host about what Owens described as a 'weird trend' coming out of Hollywood, citing Charlize Theron's upbringing of her daughter Jackson, 7, who identifies as a transgender girl. His comments came in response to Charlize Theron telling DailyMail in April, "I thought she was a boy, too, until she looked at me when she was three-years-old and said, 'I am not a boy!'" Lopez said, "My God if you're three-years-old, I just think it's dangerous as a parent to make this determination then... it's sort of alarming and my gosh, I just think about the repercussions later on."
He further added that when you're a child, "you don’t know anything about sexuality yet. You’re just a kid." Lopez has two children - Gia, 8, and Dominic, 5, - with his wife Courtney Laine Mazza. He had also shared that parents should let their children be children but should also know how to be the adult in a situation. Lopez added that a child's "formative years" are a much more appropriate time to have such conversations as before that is "way too young."
Lopez's comments did not sit well with 'Queer Eye' star Karamo Brown who took to social media to express his disappointment. Karamo tweeted, "I’m disappointed to read @MarioLopezExtra comments about parents who support their child’s openness about their gender identity. As a social worker, I am trained to identify abuse or neglect of a child. Healthy & safe dialogue w/ kids is neither abusive, neglectful or 'dangerous'." Karamo's comments received a lot of support from fans and followers.
He then wrote a second post explaining that he was not angry but was hoping Lopez would get a different perspective. "I don’t think @MarioLopezExtra should be "canceled." But I do believe he should be given the opportunity to learn why his comments are harmful to trans youth and their parents. Mario, I’m ready to talk when you are," Karamo wrote.
One fan wrote, "Everyone seems to be entitled to their opinions, even unsuitable ones. However, criticizing somebody’s parenting publicly crosses a line. If a toddler isn’t being abused, observe quietly." Another added, "The problem is encapsulated in his statement about kids not understanding “sexuality.” Like many people, Lopez clearly doesn’t understand that there’s a difference between gender and sexuality. Let’s start there."