Brittany Aldean, the wife of country music star Jason Aldean, sparked a firestorm in recent days after thanking her parents for not changing her gender as a child.
It all started with a video and a simple caption on Instagram — and when the furor immediately raged, Aldean did anything but back down.
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“I would really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my toddler phase,” Aldean captioned the video. “I love this girl life.”
The short clip, set to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s “Upgrade U,” shows Aldean sans makeup before a quick transition shows him decked out in makeup with a glamorous hairdo.
While Aldean smiles playfully in the video, not everyone was so happy with the post. Singer Cassadee Pope was among those who apparently took aim at Aldean’s Instagram video and caption.
You’d think celebrities with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging. But instead, here we are, listening to someone compare their “toddler phase” to someone who wants to move on. Really beautiful.
— Cassadee Pope (@CassadeePope) August 26, 2022
“You would think that celebrities with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging,” she said. posted on Twitter. “But instead, here we are, listening to someone compare his ‘toddler phase’ to someone he wants to pass. Really beautiful.”
Singer Maren Morris responded to the Pope in agreement, writing: “Is it so easy not to be a mean person? Sell your clips and zip up, Rebellion Barbie.”
But many others chimed in to like or support the message. Brittany Aldean’s husband, singer Jason Aldean, even responded with a joke on Instagram.[I’m] I’m glad they didn’t either, because you and I wouldn’t have worked.”
In that moment, Brittany Aldean — who has two young children named Memphis and Navy — could have remained silent or ignored the anguish, but she chose to speak up.
In fact, Aldean issued a lengthy statement pushing back against these criticisms, especially when it comes to the children’s transition.
“Advocating child genital mutilation under the guise of love and calling it ‘gender-affirming care’ is one of the worst evils,” Aldean wrote. “I will always support my children and do everything I can to protect their innocence.”
She went on to complain about the state of culture today and parents who fear others so much that they give in to the whims of the day.
“Some parents want to be accepted by society so badly that they are willing to make life-changing decisions for their children who are not old enough to fully understand the consequences of those actions,” Aldean said. “Love is protecting your child until he is mature enough as an adult to make his own decisions about life. … Until then, leave the kids alone.”
E! there’s more for everyone interested, but Aldean also shared another message on her Instagram stories about the importance of standing up and not being afraid to speak your mind.
“If you keep quiet about your beliefs because you’re worried someone will be offended, then your beliefs aren’t as important to you as what people think of you,” it read. “When you stand up for what is right and true, you will get both hate and love, but everyone will know what you are fighting for.”
Those are certainly bold words in an era of cancellation culture.
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