Author Nicholas Sparks Affirms He Supports LGBTQ Rights, Amid Recent Accusations
After The Daily Beast published emails from The Notebook author Nicholas Sparks, where he declares that he won’t allow an LGBT club at a school he co-founded, the writer quickly came back with a response.
In a statement issued on Facebook, Nicholas said he is “an unequivocal supporter of gay marriage, gay adoption, and equal employment rights and would never want to discourage any young person or adult from embracing who they are.”
“As someone who has spent the better part of my life as a writer who understands the power of words, I regret and apologize that mine have potentially hurt young people and members of the LGBTQ community, including my friends and colleagues in that community,” he continued.
He concluded, “It’s never been my intent to be unresponsive to the needs of the LGBTQ or any minority community. In fact the opposite is true, and I trust my actions moving forward will confirm that.”
The statement might leverage some heat, but that isn’t stopping the legal battle Nicholas is in with the school over claims that he groomed a discriminatory environment — even once allegedly banning students from forming an LGBT club.