Slaughter to Prevail’s Alex Terrible is Another Musician Falling for Anti-Trans Talking Points
Man, this one’s kind of a bummer. Earlier today, Slaughter to Prevail frontman Alex Terrible took to his Instagram page to become yet another voice in the ever-growing chorus of people who don’t know shit about — but can’t stop talking about — trans issues.
Citing his “traditional family values” as a straight man, Terrible rattled off some of the most prominent anti-trans talking points that right wing commentary hosts have been spewing for months now. And he does it while saying he hates “propaganda in any form.”
Unlike the other dudes that have felt the need to comment on this topic in the past, this one is a real big bummer to me. I know his traditional family values are likely a product of his upbringing in Russia (where they’re none too kind to gay or trans people, mind you), nor am I trying to kill his free speech. I just wish he’d do a little more understanding on the issue before spouting off. He’s got a huge platform and normalizing those talking points can only lead to violence being committed against transgendered Slaughter to Prevail fans. And absolutely no one wants that.
To be fair, here’s his statement in its entirety:
“It makes me uncomfortable when I touch on a heterosexual topic and it doesn’t matter at all, jokingly or seriously, there are a lot of people who start pointing fingers at me and calling me a homophobe or a women-hater. You are crazy! If you don’t like that I’m a straight man and have traditional family values, please unfollow me! I don’t give a shit who are you and if you suck dicks balls ass or pussy it’s not my fucking deal I don’t want to know that. That’s your personal fucking stuff
“I will not feel sorry for anyone and be gentle, I say what I think and sometimes I speak rudely. I hate propaganda in any form, especially when trying to brainwash children! I consider it a crime, children absorb everything like sponges and do not realize until they are of a conscious age. parents, teachers and educators are responsible for children and they must help them become individuals who in the future will take responsibility for their own destiny. If you want to cancel me for this then please! I won’t stop making my own music and being myself. Fuck you”
Now, before I break his points down, let me say this: from all accounts, Terrible seems like a good guy. He’s against the war in Ukraine, he’s super supportive of his fans, and he just seems like he’s always down for a good time. That’s what makes this stance such a bummer. It just seems like he’s moved to Florida and maybe acclimated too well, if you know what I mean.
As for his points, I really want to focus on the second half of his post, since the first half is perfectly fine. Right off the bat, he says they’re “brainwashing children.” Though he doesn’t explicitly say what they’re being brainwashed to say, believe, or do, we all know where this is coming from. It’s a shame, really because that’s just not happening. There have been zero credible instances of children being indoctrinated into believing they’re trans or gay or bi, or anything.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “most children between ages 18 and 24 months can recognize and label gender groups…however, society tends to have a narrow view of gender. As a result, some children learn to behave in ways that may not reflect their gender identity.” Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood says “most kids begin to identify strongly with a gender around age 3. That includes transgender and gender nonconforming people, who also have a sense of their gender identity at this stage.” That’s not to say this is necessarily set in stone, since this too can fluctuate as that child gets older, but I think it gets my point across.
By the time kids are in kindergarten, they pretty much have a good idea of what they are. I’m not saying they have to undergo life-altering surgeries, but to say kids only know about their identity through the actions of the adults around them is insanely disingenuous.
