NASHUA, N.H. — The sole Chick-fil-A restaurant in New Hampshire, located in the food court of the Pheasant Lane Mall south of Nashua, will be one of the co-sponsors for New Hampshire LGBT Pride Fest 2012.

The announcement by franchise general manager Anthony Picolia came as a surprise to Pride Fest organizers in light of the ongoing public relations debacle over the negative remarks by Chick-Fil-A’s President last month regarding same-sex marriage.

Picolia, in an email to LGBTQ Nation on Tuesday, confirmed that his franchise will sponsor the festival, writing:

“In both my personal and professional life, I have had and continue to have positive relationships with family, friends, customers and employees in the LGBT community. It would make me sad if someone felt that they were not openly welcomed into my life or restaurant based on their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender,”

In a statement issued by Pride organizers, Picolia added that his Chick-fil-A franchise “has gay employees and serves gay customers with honor, dignity and respect.”

“We also don’t discriminate in giving back to the Nashua community, donating to a wide variety of causes. I would challenge people to come have a conversation with me before they make assumptions or boycott my restaurant. Come to my restaurant and see for yourself that my team and I only have one mission: To serve exceptional experiences to all,” he wrote.

Tara Powell, one of the festival’s organizers, said she is looking forward to working with Picolia and his support of the Pride festival.

“This sponsorship is just another example of how great New Hampshire is to the LGBT community,” said Powell. “We are looking forward to having a great Pride Fest, and are very excited to have Chick-fil-A involved.”

New Hampshire Pride Fest 2012 is scheduled from Noon to 5:00 PM on August 11, 2012 at Veterans Memorial Park in Manchester.

New Hampshire is one of six states, along with the District of Columbia, where same-sex marriage is legal.