Clint McCance, Arkansas School Board Member, Wants 'Fags' To Commit Suicide

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.

Comments

[Dana Glenn]

04:48 PM on 11/06/2010

I would wear red, white, and blue forever if this individual and those like him would fall off the face of the Earth. I'll make a deal with all hatemongers like this.."You stop getting divorced and screwing up your kid's life, then sending him/her to school for me to teach. And I and people like me will never ever say we are "gay/lesbian" ever ever again." And if you don't agree to this, I'll meet you on the playground after school and beat you up. Grow up! Lord, Have Mercy!

[Contact1972]

11:58 AM on 11/07/2010

LOL well bloody said! Fanned and Faved!!!

[LiberalOutlaw]

03:55 AM on 11/05/2010

This is an interesting display of moral righteousness from a guy who "likes" both tequila and playboy on his facebook page.

So help me understand this. If one guy wants to have 15 girlfriends, that is totally cool. But if two people of the same gender want to be in a committed relationship, then that is just bad and wrong.

With that said, I personally don't have a problem with either Mr. Heffner OR polyamory. It's just the whole inconsistency thing just kind of threw me.

Of course, I'd be willing to bet that Mr McCance indulges in lesbian porn and sees no problem with that. There's nothing wrong with a little fun, right Mr. McCance?

Guys like this make me wanna barf.

[Contact1972]

11:59 AM on 11/07/2010

Yeah exactly...it's the blatant hypocracy.

[Contact1972]

12:01 PM on 11/07/2010

Fanned and Faved btw for being rational!

[BestFunnyBlog]

01:18 PM on 11/04/2010

His ignorant comments infuriated me beyond belief. But human rights activist George Takei has a hilarious response to Clint's comments. I've included the video, a funny picture of Mr. McCance, and my own little rant on a new blog post on this issue: http://www.bestfunnyblog.com/celebs-more/george-takei-calls-antigay-arkansas-school-board-member/

It is disheartening to know that people like Clint still exist in the world.

[Whitneyann707]

06:24 PM on 10/30/2010

It breaks my heart to read an article like this. I grew up going to a Catholic school and not once did they belittle the gay community like McCance does. If God really did create us, why would he create people he supposedly hates? I was always taught to respect people: gay or straight. I've never realized how badly gays are treated until I read this article. They are people too and deserve to be treated much better than they are. Reading this article actually made me mad. Honestly, this makes me ashamed to say that I grew up in a Catholic society. This, along with many other factors, have led to changes in my religious beliefs.

[Contact1972]

12:02 PM on 11/07/2010

I'm glad your Catholic school didn't belittle the gay community. It is the exception, not the rule I'm afraid.

[Simone Hill]

06:03 PM on 10/30/2010

Remember how the Republicans turned a record budget surplus into a record budget deficit and spent trillions of dollars on the war in Iraq.

This is the party that preached fiscal discipline and then cut taxes in time of war.

Remember that Republicans consider tax dollars spent on American citizens to be a waste of taxpayer money.

This is the party that still wants to put the torch to Social Security and Medicare.

Remember that Republicans believe in state rights UNLESS a state passes a law that doesn't coincide with their narrow point of view.

This is the party that wanted to add a "Marriage Protection Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution.

Remember how Republican ears are deaf to the screams of the people yet hear the whispers of Big Business.

This is a party that, given a choice between Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan, would choose Ronald Reagan in a heartbeat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlBOv8m_Xa8

On November 2, 2010 - REMEMBER!

[farginbastidge]

09:02 AM on 10/30/2010

He's on a school board and he thinks "thereselves" is a word?

[Contact1972]

12:03 PM on 11/07/2010

I know right! Did you read his resignation letter? What kind of school board is this?

[Vic S]

01:41 AM on 10/30/2010

He's on the school board? His spelling and grammar are atrocious.

[hellotiki]

08:35 PM on 10/29/2010

H.G. Wells couldn't have seen this enlightening moment coming. Amazing!

[rtgmath]

07:52 PM on 10/29/2010

Well, as a Christian I seriously object to this man calling himself Christian or moral. He doesn't want his precious life to be "bothered" by anyone else who might be different. He thinks it would be great if they all killed themselves.

Jerk.

Well, Jesus did not condemn the woman taken in adultery. Jesus ate with tax collectors and the lower classes, the ones rejected by society. Jesus didn't wish for anyone to be hurt, even those who crucified him.

Clint McCance is nothing like a Christian ought to be. Then again, I have been appalled with just how many people who call themselves Christian are so full of hate.

Clint McCance ought to resign from the school board. After all, he does not have the best interests of the students at heart. He only cares about himself. Imagine a nation with these jerks in charge!

Please vote. And vote against intolerant jerks.

[iunhartbaciv]

08:18 PM on 10/29/2010

Homosexuality is not morally wrong, unlike adultery or abusive tax collectors.

[stadogmac]

10:21 PM on 11/02/2010

The concept of morality is what actions are classified as right or wrong. Romans had a different view of what right and wrong were. So do some Americans. A majority of Americans are "Christian" and here is what the good book says. [Hebraic Roots Bible]
[New King James Version is similar but not precise enough for my point]

Refer to Leviticus 20; Verse 13 which is the words of our Father who is in Heaven. Your God [YHWH]

13 And a man who lies with a male
as one lies with a woman, both of them
have done a detestable thing, surely
they shall die; their blood shall be on
them.

Refer also to Romans 1 verse 24-27 for the words of Paul the Apostle [Rav Shaul of the original schlichim]
24 Because of this, Yahweh gave
them up to filthy lusts of their hearts,
and their bodies to be dishonored
among themselves,
25 who changed the truth of Yahweh
into the lie, and worshiped and served
the created thing more than the
Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 Because of this, Yahweh gave
them up to dishonorable passions, for
even their females changed the natural
use of their sex to that contrary to
nature.
27 And so also their males forsook
the use of females, which is natural,
and burned with lust toward one
another, male with male, they did
what is shameful, and received in
themselves the just recompense of
their error.

[Gidster]

04:58 PM on 10/29/2010

What an outstanding example of Talibangelical America!

THIS is what happens when church sanctioned bigotry is mainstreamed.

[More tea Vicar]

04:58 PM on 10/29/2010

As the elections come closer the Uber-Right h8tred is getting louder and more brazen.

[More tea Vicar]

04:56 PM on 10/29/2010

Ah, the Wisdom of the unchristian-Right-wing! Why hasn't the Arizona School Board fired him? They sound worse than the Texas School Board...intolerance, ignorance, h8tred. How did people get so low in this country?

[iunhartbaciv]

08:20 PM on 10/29/2010

He's a member of the school board and yet says "thereselves."

[Ioan Lightoller]

01:41 PM on 11/02/2010

Uh because he is on the Arkansas school board. However your point is well-taken. I would like the answer to your question myself.

[Gregory Roth]

02:35 PM on 10/29/2010

Is this that "love of Jesus" that I've heard so much about shining through? Also its interesting to see how quickly these "family values" types are willing to disown their own kids.

[arno michaels]

12:56 PM on 10/29/2010

we need to view these disturbing displays of bigotry as opportunities to reach out to those blinded by hate. The single most effective means to reach them is to embrace them, and let them know that we love them despite their ignorance.

I am passionately committed to defending LGBT people, mostly because I literally broke a guys face one night about 20 years ago because I was drunk and he was openly gay. That memory haunts me constantly, especially when I'm around my gay friends and I think about what wonderful human beings they are and how horrible it would be if some ignorant fool hurt them.

I still struggle with violence and anger. My initial reaction upon reading what McCance said was to break his face for him. But what would that accomplish? I didn't stop breaking people's faces because someone broke mine. In fact, the more I got hit, the more I wanted to fight. The more I became immersed in violence, the easier it got to perpetrate and perpetuate it.

The lesson to learn is that only love can conquer hate. We must let our anger pass—after feeling it as a reminder of where we don't want to be—then step forward to offer compassion to those who need it most: those consumed by illusions of fear and ignorance.

read more at http://lifeafterhate.org

[ejackson21st]

08:45 PM on 10/29/2010

It is difficult to find comments of this caliber on Huffington Post these days. Although I don't believe people like this board member would be receptive of your Sentence #2 Paragraph #1, I do think that your history and your powerful voice needs to be heard loud and clear at every opportunity you find an audience (such you did here for example).

I want to say so much more to you about the contents of your comment but you've just left me speechless. I look forward to reading the lifeafterhate.org link. Thank you for being so brave and making it personal.

[Shawn Longino]

11:03 PM on 11/02/2010

I will endeavor to love this man once he is taken out of his position of authority over vulnerable children.
But it's going to be tough love.

He doesn't need my compassion as much as his victims do.

[arno michaels]

03:47 PM on 11/03/2010

I am all about removing him from a position of authority. I am by no means accepting what he says or does. What I'm saying, from experience, is that responding to his hate with more hate can accomplish nothing but the perpetuation of hate.

If you want to make positive changes, this is where it starts.

[clayboggess]

11:57 AM on 10/29/2010

What an amazing display of ignorance and stupidity…or should I say arrogance. He sure put everything on the line on this one!

Clay Boggess
http://www.BigEventFundraising.com