Twitch streamer and FaZe Clan co-owner NICKMERCS has spoken out after a tweet he penned concerning Pride Month recognition in schools sparked backlash online.
On June 7, NICKMERCS published a tweet in response to a video of a massive brawl taking place outside a school in Glendale, California.
The fight was reportedly sparked by a school board meeting discussing the recognition of Pride Month on campus, which was approved by unanimous decision later that day, as told by the LA Times.
NICKMERCS’s response to the post argued that the education of LGBTQIA+ topics should not be taught in schools, writing, “They should leave little children alone. That’s the real issue.”
They should leave little children alone. That’s the real issue.
— FaZe Nickmercs (@NICKMERCS) June 7, 2023
His reply sparked outrage from many other streamers, creators, and fans, who were quick to speak out against Nick’s statement, calling his post “anti-LGBTQ+.”
NICKMERCS addresses controversial Pride Month tweet
Less than a day later, NICKMERCS addressed the situation during a live stream, saying that he didn’t mean to offend anyone with his post but stands by what he said.
“I just don’t think it’s any place for a teacher or a school — I don’t think it’s the place to speak about things like that,” he said. “It’s not that I think it shouldn’t be spoken about. If that’s what you got from that tweet, then you’re just wrong.”
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
“I don’t have any quarrel with anybody in here,” he continued. “I don’t have any quarrel with people on the internet. It wasn’t an anti — I guess — gay tweet. That wasn’t what it was. If you think that I hate you because you’re a certain way, you couldn’t be any more wrong.”
“I want to be the one — and my wife wants to be the one — to speak with our child about stuff like that. And that was the tweet. …I didn’t mean to upset anybody. I know that I did. I’m not apologizing about the tweet, because I don’t feel like it’s wrong. I’m gonna stand by what I said.”
That said, Nick offered an apology to esports broadcaster Puckett, who’d criticized his post, claiming he “might have brought a little bit of sh*t his way” amid the initial situation the previous day.
FaZe Clan has not addressed the backlash surrounding their co-owner’s latest remarks.
For more entertainment news and content, check out our page here.
