Vampyre Cosmetics has cancelled its collaboration with Alice Cooper after he said being transgender "is a fad."
In an interview with Stereogum last week, the 75-year-old shock rocker was asked for his opinion on gender identity, in light of anti-trans comments made by his peers, Paul Stanley (Kiss) and Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), who called gender-affirming care for kids a “sad and dangerous fad.”
"I’m understanding that there are cases of transgender, but I’m afraid that it’s also a fad, and I’m afraid there’s a lot of people claiming to be this just because they want to be that," Cooper said. "I find it wrong when you’ve got a six-year-old kid who has no idea. He just wants to play, and you’re confusing him telling him, 'Yeah, you’re a boy, but you could be a girl if you want to be.'"
Cooper then continued to double down on his stance, adding, "I think that’s so confusing to a kid. It’s even confusing to a teenager. You’re still trying to find your identity, and yet here’s this thing going on, saying, 'Yeah, but you can be anything you want. You can be a cat if you want to be.' I mean, if you identify as a tree… And I’m going, 'Come on! What are we in, a Kurt Vonnegut novel?' It’s so absurd, that it’s gone now to the point of absurdity."
In a statement posted on Instagram and the company's website, Vampyre Cosmetics, which describes itself as “women owned, disabled owned and LGBT+ owned,” said the Vampyre Cosmetics x Alice Cooper Makeup Collection will no longer be happening.
"In light of recent statements by Alice Cooper we will no longer be doing a makeup collaboration," they wrote. "We stand with all members of the LGBTQIA+ community and believe everyone should have access to healthcare. All pre-order sales will be refunded."