LEARY FORGIVEN BY LEADING AUTISM CAMPAIGN GROUP
LATEST: A planned protest against actor-turned-author DENIS LEARY’s new book has been called off by autism activists after accepting the star’s apology for scathing remarks he made against children suffering with the disorder.
The Rescue Me star sparked outrage among campaigners for young autism sufferers when an excerpt from his book, Why We Suck: A Feel-Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid, was printed in a U.S. newspaper last month (15Oct08).
In the book, Leary claims some parents use the brain development disorder as an excuse to explain their children’s "laziness", and blames the surge in autism on "inattentive mothers and competitive dads".
But Leary defended himself against criticism and claimed his comments had been taken "out of context".
He has since issued two apologies for his remarks, and advocacy group Autism United has now forgiven him for his mistake.
Autism United spokesman and comedian Mark Anthony Ramirez has now cancelled the U.S.-wide boycott of the book, on the condition that Leary either omits the chapter in question, or donate some of the proceeds to charity.
Ramirez, whose own child has been diagnosed with autism, says, "I feel that Denis’ apology was enough.
"But his claim that his comments were taken out of context is a veiled attempt to elicit more sales.
"As a parent of a child with autism, I feel he owes the autism community the money he is making for using what has quickly become an epidemic in our country as a cheap ploy to sell his book. He should donate a portion of his sales to assist children with autism."
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
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