US school official tells gay teens to kill themselves
Gay rights groups are calling for a US school board official to resign after he posted an anti-gay rant on his Facebook page.
Clint McCance, who is the vice-president of the Arkansas school district, wrote on his page that “queers” and “fags” should kill themselves.
He made the remarks after Spirit Day last Wednesday, which encouraged people to wear purple to mark a spate of suicides among gay teenagers.
According to The Advocate, which got a screengrab of his page, Mr McCance wrote that the teenagers had “sinned”, that he would disown his children if they were gay and that he was pleased that AIDS kills gay men.
He wrote: “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.”
In response to a commenter who criticised his remarks, he added: “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.”
In later comments, he wrote: “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.”
Tom Kimbrell, Arkansas commissioner of education, said in a statement Wednesday that he had “grave concerns” about the situation.
He said: “I strongly condemn the statements that appeared on Mr Clint McCance’s Facebook page … The statements attributed to Mr McCance constitute a significant departure from statements we expect from our school leaders.
“The divisiveness and disruption of these comments cause me to seriously question the ability of Mr McCance to remain as an effective member of the Midland School Board.”
Mr McCance is an elected official, the statement said, and the local education department cannot deal with him directly. But the department promised to deal quickly with any instances of homophobic bullying.
Facebook groups and gay rights campaigners are calling for Mr McCance’s resignation.
Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese said: “McCance shouldn’t be allowed near children, let alone managing their education. We call for his immediate resignation from the school board.”
