An Arkansas School Board member recently launched an inflammatory anti-gay tirade on Facebook that ran the gamut from basic bigoted slurs, to encouraging "fags" to commit suicide and announcing that he'd disown his own children if they were gay.
In response to a massively popular Facebook initiative to show support for gay youths in the wake of a recent wave of suicides, Clint McCance, a board member in the Midland school district in northern Arkansas, wrote this screed, provided to the Advocate:
"Seriously they want me to wear purple because five queers killed themselves. The only way im wearin it for them is if they all commit suicide. I cant believe the people of this world have gotten this stupid. We are honoring the fact that they sinned and killed thereselves because of their sin. REALLY PEOPLE."
The reaction to the post was both positive and negative, the Advocate reports. McCance responded to one detractor, saying:
"No because being a fag doesn't give you the right to ruin the rest of our lives. If you get easily offended by being called a fag then dont tell anyone you are a fag. Keep that shit to yourself. I dont care how people decide to live their lives. They dont bother me if they keep it to thereselves. It pisses me off though that we make a special purple fag day for them. I like that fags cant procreate. I also enjoy the fact that they often give each other aids and die. If you arent against it, you might as well be for it."
After one commenter invoked McCance's Christianity and his willingness to seemingly talk hatefully about the families of other people, McCance wrote back:
"I would disown my kids they were gay. They will not be welcome at my home or in my vicinity. I will absolutely run them off. Of course my kids will know better. My kids will have solid christian beliefs. See it infects everyone."
Towleroad has detailed screenshots of the dialogue.
A Facebook page entitled "Fire Clint McCance" has since popped up, already mustering the support of nearly 12,000 people at the time of publication.
Protesters have also started a petition to Dean Stanley, Superintendent of the Midland School District, calling from the removal of McCance from the board.