Sad news for fans of sappy romance novels: literary giant Nicholas Sparks tried to have LGBTQ curriculum banned from the Epiphany School of Global Studies, a faith based prep school started by the author.
Sparks, the popular author of romance novels like The Notebook and The Longest Ride, helped found the school in 2006. Newly leaked emails, however, show a bitter feud among school employees and Sparks.
Saul Benjamin, a former headmaster at the Epiphany School, has accused Sparks and other school Trustees of creating a hostile work environment, as well as homophobic and racist policies. The new emails would seem to support his case, with Sparks making some shocking remarks.
Regarding the lack of racial diversity in the school, Sparks takes pride in having oneâyes, oneâJewish student among the 500 person student body.
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The author further notes that the dearth of Black students at Epiphany has less to do with racist policies and more to do with local African-Americans failing to have the money or academic qualifications to attend.
In one email, Sparks comments that African-Americans, which comprise 40% of the local population, are âtoo poor and canât do the academic work.â
Further rifts appeared between Benjamin, Sparks and other faculty over the schoolâs treatments of LGBTQ students and issues.
In 2013, a group of students began meeting informally to discuss their sexual orientations, and became the immediate subject of bullying. Sparks ordered Benjamin to ban the group, and threatened at least two teachers with termination for defending the students.
When Sparks was told banning the LGBTQ group was discriminatory, Sparks wrote back: âNot allowing them to have a club is NOT discrimination.â
The author also suggested banning all forms of student protest after two lesbian students planned to come out during chapel services. When Benjamin refused to do so, Sparks accused him of secretly authorizing an âofficial School LGBT club.â
Benjamin ultimately resigned after a heated meeting with Sparks, in which the former headmaster claimed the author behaved in a physically intimidating manner. Now, he has filed a lawsuit claiming harassment and discrimination.
Sparks, for his part, claims the Board fired Benjamin after he authorized a clandestine gay student club.
The trial for Benajaminâs suit is scheduled to be held this August.
Related: Donât Expect A Gay Romance Novel From Nicholas Sparks Anytime Soon
Jonathan
If you’re a turd, I’m a turd.
Wicked Dickie
From the school’s very own website….”The Epiphany School of Global Studies, anchored in the Judeo-Christian commandment to Love God and Your Neighbor as Yourself..” As long as your neighbor is white, and straight. “…Sparks comments that African-Americans, which comprise 40% of the local population, are âtoo poor and canât do the academic work.â One must wonder why such an “elite” school is operating in a “poor” neighborhood?
Vince
Wow. A religious zealot that wrote some smut books I mean romance novels and is a complete bigot. You just can’t make this shit up.
Cam
Bigots gonna bigot.
Billysees
Yep …
Dgrizzard
I listened to his interview on NC Public TV. I thought he was Gay.
darklight413
Deeply closeted self-hater with a “pool boy” no doubt.
Scott Amundsen
Please. Open his mouth and a purse falls out.
Dgrizzard
if you listen to him speak, he sounds as nely as pink floral toilet paper!!!!
Diplomat-G
@Dgrizzard
Now. now, no reason to denigrate pink floral toilet paper, I hear trump stocks up on it every time a Russian comes to the white house…
Eddy Lovelace
I agree! I met him more than once at a bookstore (not porno LOL) where I used to work and he acted and sounded gay. A real queen. Rude to the staff as well.
mz.sam
I also would not be surprised if this bigoted zealot supports the current multiple States’ ban on women’s rights.
Geeker
He writes shitty books and he’s a shitty excuse for a human being.
PinkoOfTheGange
that is exactly what i was thinking
steve3885
I couldn’t have said it as well as you did…
Luvstoread
Have you read any of his books? There is a reason why he is a best selling author. His books strike a chord with his readers. Before you ask, yes I have read a few of his books. I thoroughly enjoyed the emotional journey I went through when reading them. I’m certainly not defending his comments. I had no idea he supposedly felt that way about the gay community.
Kangol2
This closet case hack writer Sparks is an equal opportunity bigot! He needs to have an epiphany himself and get some psychological help, pronto!
j41005
First off, if the school website promotes itself as a school with âJudeo-Christianâ beliefs, why send your LGBTQ child? Thereâs a pretty strong chance the child will be bullied by the school. Are the parents hoping the school can âpray the gay awayâ out of their child?
With regards to African-Americans not being able to afford to attend the school and/or to succeed academically, then I see a couple of problems. First, stop charging so damn much that kids canât afford to attend and secondly, hire teachers capable of teaching. Thatâs totally BS to claim because of a persons ethnicity that they are unable to perform up to standards.
Based on this article, if true, even if I had Bill Gates money, I wouldnât send my child to this school.
Sanjo
If kids attend the school from elementary age, their parents and the kids themselves likely aren’t identified as LGBTQ so your first statement doesn’t seem to make much sense.
Diplomat-G
He does remind you of Michelle Bachman’s closeted hubby.
fireman452
People like this remind me of trying to grab a handful of water, it all just slips through your fingers. Judeo-Christian school with ONE Jewish student of which they are SO proud is like saying I have a LOT of black friends? really NO time for this girly clown – I prefer the Native American solution for the European Problem, Ignore it and eventually it will go away. LOL
Parisguy
We’ll see him, just as we did the conversion therapy folks, in another few years, coming out and writing a bestseller about how he came to term with his demons and is now embracing his true gay self! Methinks the lady doth protest too much!
Steven McCarthy
Another divorced Christian throwing stones at other people. Boycott everything attached to such Hippocrates.
betterthanu
Hmmm nothing on Queerty about the hate crime in Detroit where the black guy murdered 3 LGBTQ people! I would think that thatâs a bigger story than this alleged oh wait never mind this involves a white guy!
Kangol2
@betterthanu (a/k/a iamru2 or a similar clone), we see your racebaiting, as usual. Don’t you ever tire of defending racist homophobes?
Cam
I see one of the other screenames for @iamru2 is desperately trying to do what it always does. Take attention off of Christian bigots and try to attack black people.
Sweetie, the memos from NOM saying that the right wing was going to try to start conflict between LGBT people and black people were leaked YEARS ago. This tactic failed back then. Now you’re just embarrassing yourself.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Listen to that abhorrent queen speak! That mouth spews hate on the way out and takes jizz on the way in….
MISTERJETT
he seems to be so proud of his ignorance.
mgconlan
The only thing I know about Nicholas Sparks is I’ve seen the movie version of his novel “Nights in Rodanthe,” which I wanted to watch mainly because Christopher Meloni had a supporting part in it and I’ve had a long-standing celebrity crush on him. (Incidentally “Nights in Rodanthe” has a quite well-defined and sympathetic African-American woman character, played in the film by the then-unknown Viola Davis.) What I hope DOESN’T happen is a call to boycott Sparks’ works the way the Color of Change organization successfully lobbied Simon and Schuster to cancel their contract with crime novelist Linda Fairstein because she was involved in the prosecution of the “Central Park Five.” I don’t support McCarthy-style blacklisting from the Right OR the Left.
Luvstoread
I enjoyed her books. đ
Luvstoread
I agree!!
Cam
This is a cute tactic.
The account won’t deal with the bigotry, and then tries to say that people upset by bigotry are MCCarthy style.
Come on, you right wingers can do better than that.
okiloki
Heâs compared himself to Sophocles and Shakespeare in the past (and without irony). He clearly lives in his own make believe world.
Gary Q VV
“Authorized a clandestine gay student club!” Oooo, how scary does that imagery make this “Holier than thou” school shiver? It’s laughable, but we all know it occurs far too often. Sad!
IWantAFullBeard
Who? Iâm a prolific reader and Iâve never read any of his preteen nonsense. Shouldnât you consider the state of a man who write books for preteen girls?