Mario Lopez (Dancing with Stars, The X Factor) is facing backlash on Twitter after a video emerged showing the actor saying in an interview with the conservative figure Candace Owens that it was “dangerous” for parents to let children as young as three years old make a decision about their gender identity.
Lopez was sharing his views during a 40-minute interview on The Candace Owens Show. The video was actually recorded in June but caught the attention of many Twitter users for the first time over the past few days.
During the interview, Owens made specific reference to actress Charlize Theron (see video below: start 11:27) while talking about what she described as the “weird trend” in Hollywood where celebrities allow their children to pick their gender identity.
Owens had in mind the incident last April when actress Charlize Theron revealed that her child Jackson did not identify as a boy and that she was letting the child decide their gender identity.
Theron told MailOnline that she thought Jackson was a boy “until she looked at me when she was 3 years old and said ‘I am not a boy!'”
But in Owens’ view, a declaration of gender identity by a three-year-old should not be taken seriously because young children don’t have the “mental authority” to make a decision about their gender.
Lopez agreed with Owens, saying that he was “blown away” by the trend.
“If you’re 3 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 this determination then,” Lopez said
“When you’re a kid, you don’t know anything about sexuality yet. You’re just a kid,” he concluded (see video below).
Evidently it's now *scandalous* to say that a child probably shouldn't be making their own life-altering decisions at 3 years old.
?♂️
Mario Lopez and Candace Owens discuss.@MarioLopezExtra @RealCandaceO pic.twitter.com/2Wdc79SrjW— PragerU (@prageru) July 31, 2019
However, Lopez came under fire from many Twitter users over his comments in the video.
Mario Lopez’s suggestion that parents ought not accept their trans kids — kids who face staggering levels of suicide, bullying and other hurdles — is cruel. He conflated sexual orientation and gender identity, which is a pretty big tell that ya don’t know anything about this.
— Alex Berg (@itsalexberg) July 31, 2019
after that interview where Mario decided to say that being trans is a “weird” trend these days, it’s “dangerous” & that being trans is defined by someone’s sexuality just shows how uneducated, & shallow minded he is. fuck you, you’re cancelled. ??♂️?️? #MarioLopez @MarioLopezExtra
— Cam. ?❌ (@_cameron_james) July 31, 2019
I don’t understand why #MarioLopez wouldn’t respect other people’s choices to live honestly as who they are. I respect his choice to live openly as an asshole. https://t.co/Ir3k0jZPzQ
— David Clarke (@davidclarke76) July 31, 2019
Mario Lopez should mind his business and worry about his own children. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, even wrong ones. But criticizing someone’s parenting publicly crosses a line. If a child isn’t being abused, observe quietly.
— nunya business (@100ptruthteller) July 30, 2019
@MarioLopezExtra is probably the last person you should listen to when it comes to raising your children. Lol didnt he cheat on his wife the night of their honeymoon. Sit down Slater. #mariolopez
— Riches (@Reeechiexxl) July 31, 2019
@TransEquality Candace Owens and Mario Lopez are spreading idiocy on the Prager U social channel about trans kids. I posted three replies, but wanted to make sure this is on your radar, too. https://t.co/5FaM57sPWe
— Woke Up EXACTLY Like This (@FTWTMPS) July 9, 2019
But others defended Lopez on Twitter, with many arguing that some media headlines misrepresented him by quoting him out of context to suggest he said that parents should not support their transgender children.
Mario Lopez is not only correct but he said what he said politely. 3 year olds aren’t able to choose their gender. I have a 3 year old. She flip flops over being a unicorn, a UFC fighter or a princess still. Anyone shaming @MarioLopezExtra needs to join us in reality. pic.twitter.com/1dkdCFoi1v
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) July 31, 2019
This is what confused people are so outraged about. Mario Lopez did nothing wrong. He was talking about 3 year olds, not teenagers or young adults. pic.twitter.com/EwGPffotFG
— axwise (@axwise1) July 31, 2019
Children can’t pick their gender.
If kids could choose who they want to be, the world would be filled with children who think they are superheroes, mermaids, princesses, animals, knights, etc.
So why does the Left think it makes sense for kids to pick their gender? #MarioLopez
— PragerU (@prageru) July 31, 2019
https://twitter.com/FlawsomeSelf96/status/1156551186109128704
Later in the same interview with Owens (start 17:50 in the video above), Lopez said that movements such as #BelieveWomen were dangerous because “people lie and sometimes those people are women.” According to Lopez, it was “incredibly dangerous” to always assume that women who alleged they were sexually assaulted were telling the truth.