News (USA)

Arkansas school official to resign following homophobic rant on Facebook page

Arkansas school official to resign following homophobic rant on Facebook page
CNN
Clint McCance

The Arkansas school board official, who recently posted a homophobic rant on Facebook where he encouraged gay kids to kill themselves, apologized for his comments on CNN Thursday night, and said he intends to resign from the school board.

Appearing on “Anderson Cooper 360,” Clint McCance said he will resign his post as vice-president of the school board for Midland School District in Pleasant Plains “to help my school, my community,” but his apology left some wondering if he was truly sorry, or just “sorry he got caught.”

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McCance, responding to a call to wear purple last Wednesday to support LGBT youth have committed suicide or have suffered anti-gay bullying, posted the following message on his Facebook page:

“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.”

McCance used the terms “queer” and “fag” repeatedly, and in follow-up posts promised to disown his own children if they are gay and stated that he enjoys “the fact that [gay people] give each other AIDS and die.”

In his apology, McCance said his “strong language” was “too emotional,” and that he “picked the wrong words to use.”

“What remains troubling is that Mr. McCance focused his regret on particular word choices not the animus behind those words,” said said HRC President Joe Solmonese, in a statement this evening.

“We hope he will take this time to reflect not only on the language he used but on what he can do to make the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people better,” Solmonese added.

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