A tweet posted on June 7 by FaZe Clan content material creator and Apex Legends professional NICKMERCS led to severe backlash from different members of the Apex and broader gaming communities, forcing the streamer to reply in the present day to accusations that the assertion was anti-LGBTQ+ and that he himself is a “bigot.”
The unique tweet in query was a response to multi-game esports caster and host Chris Puckett, who was commenting on the June 6 incident in Glendale, California, the place anti-LGBTQ+ protestors allegedly attacked pro-LGBTQ+ demonstrators outdoors of a college board assembly. NICKMERCS responded to Puckett’s tweet by saying “They need to depart little kids alone. That’s the true challenge.”
The tweet sparked quick reactions and backlash from fellow streamers and execs, together with Puckett himself, who tried to interact in a dialog.
Different Apex execs, like XSET’s Brandon “oh Nocturnal” Singer, responded with messages about how dangerous perpetuating stereotypes and misinformation in regards to the LGBTQ+ group might be dangerous and harmful. Nonetheless extra members of the Apex group, like Vexed Gaming coach, analyst, and Apex observer Crazy, vowed to boycott future MFAM Apex occasions solely, saying he was unwilling to work for a “bigot.”
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The response to the tweet prompted a response from NICKMERCS in the present day on stream. The response itself was an extra rationalization of what he meant by the tweet, as he made it clear he wouldn’t apologize for it.
“I’m making lots of people mad, and it wasn’t my intention,” he mentioned earlier than launching into his view of the state of affairs. “My spouse and I simply had a child. And her and I agree, we wish to be those to speak to our child about issues like that… I don’t assume it’s anyplace for a trainer or a college. I don’t assume it’s the place to discuss issues like that,” he continues, presumably speaking in regards to the sexual identification points that protestors clashed over.
“It’s not that I don’t assume that it shouldn’t be spoken about. If that’s what you bought from that tweet, then you definitely’re simply improper,” NICKMERCS mentioned. “It wasn’t an anti-gay tweet.”
NICKMERCS concluded in a lot the identical method, saying he “didn’t imply to upset anyone” and persevering with to insist the tweet was not anti-LGBTQ+ however that he thought sexual identification points shouldn’t be talked about in faculties between lecturers and college students.
Whereas most of his ardent fan base was fast to again him up, others shot down the non-apology and a few of its contradictions, and it doesn’t seem that the backlash will decelerate quickly.
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